


Crisis on two earths

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Series: Two earths [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Crossover, F/M, Multiverse, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-02-28 14:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 57,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18758467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: Sequel to 'Torn between two earths'. A year and a half after the defeat of Savitar, a new threat forces The Avengers to reunite. Avengers from both earths must come together to stop Thanos from wiping out half the life in the universe. Can they do it? Only time will tell.





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> So, here we are, the sequel. I know I have about a dozen other projects I should be working on right now, but I saw Endgame yesterday and it made me really want to start this.
> 
> For those of you who have not seen Endgame, don’t worry, this story won’t spoil a whole lot, I’m not going to take a whole lot from Endgame. I enjoyed the movie, it was lots of fun that had me laughing one minute, had my jaw dropped another, and had me on the verge of tears in another. But the direction of Endgame is just not one I’m going to go with this story; I have my own plan for this story.
> 
> So, anyway, here is the opening chapter.

Deep space

On a ship in the vast void of space, Loki, god of Mischief, looked around uneasily at the bodies of his people. For he may not be an Asgardian by birth, but he was always one of heart. Even if it may not have seemed like it to his people. 

“Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Titan,” one of the beings who had boarded the ship said as he and his allies walked around the dead bodies of his people. “You may think this is suffering. No. It is salvation. Universal scales will be tipped towards the balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. Because even in death, you have become children of Thanos.”

The being passed by Loki and walked up to the golden armored, purple being known as Thanos.

“I know what it’s like to lose,” Thanos began in a deep voice that sent chills down Loki’s spine. “To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless.”

Thanos then picked up Loki’s brother, Thor, by the throat and Thor gagged in pain.

“It’s frightening, turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it; run from it, destiny arrives all the same. And now, it’s here. Or should I say, I am,” Thanos said as he reached Loki ad his ‘children’. 

Thanos clenched his fists, which had a gold gauntlet that had several slots. One slot was filled with a glowing, purple stone. Loki knew too well what that stone was. And it could be nothing good.

“You talk too much,” Thor said as Thanos set him on his knees.

“The Tesseract. Or, your brother’s head,” Thanos said as he put the gauntlet close to Thor’s head. “I assume you have a preference?”

“Oh I do…kill away,” Loki said bluntly.

Loki thought that Thanos would simply drop Thor, but Loki underestimated Thanos’ cruelty. He put the glove to Thor’s head and Thor cried out in agony as he was burned by the stone. After a few moments, Loki’s resolve shattered.

“Alright stop!” Loki cried out and Thanos complied, pulling his hand away from Thor’s head.

“We don’t have the Tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard,” Thor gasped out and Loki squired.

With a look of regret on his face, Loki raised his hand and the blue cube appeared in his hand, to Thor’s shock.

“You really are the worst brother,” Thor would have growled if he had the strength.

“I assure you brother, the sun will shine on us again,” Loki assured him and Thanos chuckled

“You Asgardians, so optimistic,” Thanos said and Loki smiled.

“For one thing, I’m not Asgardian,” Loki said, taking Thanos back. “And for another…we have a Hulk.”

With a roar, Hulk rushed onto the scene. Loki tackled Thor out of the way, dropping the Tesseract as Hulk and Thanos began to fight. The pair exchanged a few blows before Hulk slammed Thanos up against the wall of the ship. However, to the shock of Hulk and the brothers, Thanos began pulling Hulk’s arms off him with ease and then began punching him. Hulk was thrown through a pillar, kneed in the face before Thanos picked him up and slammed him onto the ground. 

Thor, wanting to save his friend, grabbed what looked like a pipe off the floor and rushed Thanos. He struck Thanos in the back of the head but Thanos simply turned around and punched him, sending him to the ground. One of Thanos’ ‘children’ waved his hand and Thor was then wrapped up in several pieces of metal, unable to move.

Seeing this, Heimdall knew what he had to.

“Allfathers,” he groaned. “Let the dark magics flow through me one last time.”

Putting his hand on his sword, Heimdall used his power and a great beam of light passed through, hitting Hulk. Hulk vanished as the light took him away, to safety. Heimdall smiled, satisfied, even as Thanos walked over to him.

“That was a mistake,” Thanos said.

Thanos pulled out some spear like weapon and stabbed Heimdall in the chest with it. Thor cried out as Heimdall looked over at his king before the light left his eyes.

“You’re going to die for that,” Thor said in grief and rage. 

One of Thanos ‘children’, the same one who trapped, shushed Thor before waving his hand. A piece of metal wrapped around Thor’s mouth, acting as a gag. The ‘child’ then knelt down in front of Thanos, offering him the Tesseract.

“My personage bows before your grandeur,” it said as Thanos began removing his armor. “No other being has had the might, nay the nobility to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones. The universe is in your grasp.”

Thanos took the Tesseract and crushed it with his hand. Opening it, he stared down at the glowing blue stone surrounded by the remains of the cube. Thanos then picked up the stone and put it in his gauntlet, right next to the purple stone.

“There are two more stones on earth,” Thanos said after a moment. “Find them my children and bring them to me on Titan.”

“Father, we will not fail you,” one of them said as they all bowed before him.

“If I might interject,” Loki said as they all turned to him. “If you’re going to earth, you might want a guide. I do have a bit of experience in that arena.”

“You consider failure experience?” Thanos asked amused.

“I consider experience experience. Almighty Thanos, I, Loki, prince of Asgard…Odinson,” Loki paused, looking at his brother before turning back to Thanos. “The rightful king of Jotunheim, god of mischief, do hereby swear to you, my undying fidelity.”

Loki then pulled out a knife from behind his back and attempted to stab Thanos in the throat. However, Loki found himself frozen, his arm glowing a blue glow. 

“Undying?” Thanos asked amused and Loki felt fear grip his heart as the Titan grabbed his arm, plucking the dagger form his hand and throwing it to the ground. “You should choose your words more carefully.”

Thanos then grabbed Loki by the throat, lifting him into the air as he choked the life out of Loki.

“You…will never be…a god,” Loki gasped out against Thanos’ grip.

Thanos simply smirked as he tightened his grip. The sound of bones breaking filled the room and Loki’s body slackened in Thanos’ arms. Thor let out a cry of grief which was muffled against the metal gag around his mouth. Thanos walked over, still holding Loki in his arms before he tossed the Asgardian his brother’s body, laying it at his feet.

“No resurrections this time,” Thanos said, clenching his fist with the gauntlet.

The purple stone glowed and the glow passed through the ship, it seemed. Then, a series of explosions seemed to rock the ship as it began being overrun by purple fire. Thanos and his ‘children’ disappeared in a blue portal as Thor broke free of his restraints and crawled over to his brother’s body. He fell on top of it, lost in grief and anguish as the ship exploded around him.

Earth-1, Allen residence  
Morning

Wanda Allen, formerly Maximoff, sat up in bed, breathing heavily.

“Dreaming about other guys?” Barry Allen, her husband, asked dryly from where he sat up in bed, his phone out.

“Yeah, but not how you think. Why do you ask?” Wanda asked as she looked over at him.

“You said Thor’s name in your sleep. What’s going on?” Barry asked as he looked over at her.

“I was dreaming about him. He was in trouble…I think he died. It felt so real,” Wanda said shaken.

“Hey,” Barry put his phone down and took her face in his hands, pulling her close. “It was just a dream, okay?”

“Yeah, just a dream,” Wanda said as a pit she couldn’t explain formed in her stomach.

Earth-66, New York  
Same time

In the New York Sanctum, Stephen Strange and Wong were bickering when something crashed through their window. They whirled around to see a giant hole in the staircase as it crashed there. They cautiously approached the hole and looked down.

“Thanos is coming. He’s coming,” Bruce Banner said as he return to human form.

Stark Industries  
Same time

How has life been for Tony Stark since returning to Earth-66? 

Well, pretty normal, believe it or not. He had, in his free time, been trying to work on a way to amend The Accords, as he promised. But it was a slow moving process, so, in the meantime, he had decided to retake the CEO position at Stark Industries to honor Pepper. Try and become the man she always thought he could be.

He was currently on the phone with an investor when suddenly, a yellow portal opened up. Tony jumped out of his seat as a bearded man wearing a red cloak walked out.

“Tony Stark, I needed you to come with me,” the man said.

“I’m sorry, I’ll have to call you back,” Tony said before he hung up. “You giving out tickets to something?”

“We need your help. It’s not overselling it to say that the fate of the universe is at stake,” the man said.

“And who’s we?” Tony asked wearily. 

“Hey Tony,” Bruce said as he walked out of the portal.

“Bruce?” Tony said surprised as his friend walked up and hugged him.

“Like I said, we need your help Mr. Stark,” Dr. Strange told him grimly.


	2. Call to action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the threat of Thanos looming, Rhodey and Bruce begins to gather The Avengers from all corners of the earth and Multiverse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here’s the second chapter. We’re going to be fast forwarding to after the fight in New York, mostly because the events between that and the end of last chapter would remain pretty much the same. Hope you enjoy this.

New York, Earth-66  
Afternoon

Bruce picked up the phone off the ground, looking around in a little disbelief at all the destruction. Hearing a sound behind him, Bruce turned around to see Wong heading through a portal.

“Where are you going?” Bruce asked confused.

“The Time Stone has been taken. The Sanctum remains unguarded,” Wong explained. “What will you do?”

“I have to make a call,” Bruce said as he looked down at the phone.

Scotland  
Not long after

Steve, Bucky, Natasha and Sam all sat around the living room of their safe house, watching in disbelief as the news covered the destruction of the battle in New York. His pocket vibrating, Steve pulled out the phone he always kept on him. Only two people have this number and he doubted it was T’Challa calling him.

“Tony, what happened over there?” Steve inquired as he answered.

“Cap, it’s not Tony. It’s Bruce, Bruce Banner,” Bruce said and Steve started.

“Bruce,” Steve said shocked and Natasha looked at him sharply. “What happened to Tony, why do you have the phone?”

“That’s complicated but Tony…I don’t think he’ll be back for a while. The guys who attacked New York, they just flew off in their ship with Tony and two other people. Cap, we’re in trouble. Fate of the universe hanging in the balance trouble,” Bruce said gravely and Steve frowned.

“If I know Tony, he should have Rhodey’s number in the phone. Call him, tell him the situation and we’ll all head to the Compound,” Steve said before hanging up. 

“Bruce is back?” Natasha asked shocked.

“Yeah. We need to go, now. From what Bruce said, there is more at stake here than just Earth,” Steve said grimly, his mind racing.

Avenger’s Compound  
Not long after

Rhodey hung up his phone, his mind racing from everything Bruce had just told him.

“It appears this is what the stone was warning me about,” Vision said, referring to the pain in the center of his forehead earlier.

“Yeah. And if what Banner said is true, we’ll need more than just us,” Rhodey said as he walked out of the room.

Rhodey headed to Tony’s office, opening the door. He began searching; tearing the office apart until he found what he was looking for. He pulled open a drawer and found the Extrapolator Cisco had given Tony prior to his departure from Earth-1. 

Central City, Earth-1  
Same time

Barry was down in what Cisco called the ‘Flash cave’, looking at some data on the computer. Caitlin, the only other person down there, looked over at him. 

“What exactly are you doing?” Caitlin inquired.

“Looking over everything we have on your father. See if there’s anything that can give away what he’s going to do next,” Barry said as he sighed, leaning back in his chair. “So far, nothing.”

“Rick says Argus doesn’t have anything on him either,” Caitlin sighed.

“Hey, we’ll find him,” Barry assured her.

“And then what?” Caitlin asked glumly.

Before Barry could respond, they heard a beep, like an alert. Barry and Caitlin looked down at the drawler of the computer desk, where it was coming from. Barry opened it up to reveal the Extrapolator inside, which was vibrating as it beeped. Barry reached down and pulled it out, pressing the button.

“Cap?” Barry questioned.

“No Barry, its Rhodey. Listen man, we need your help…”

Scotland, Earth-66  
Same time

Bucky threw a bag over his shoulder, looking over at Natasha, who was packing her own bag.

“You okay?” Bucky asked as he walked over to her.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Natasha asked and Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe because your ex is back? Must be difficult,” Bucky pointed out.

“Maybe at one point but now…no,” Natasha assured him as she looked up at him. “I care about him, and I always will. But as a friend. Nothing more.”

Natasha then leaned up and kissed him before Sam’s voice reached them. 

“Hey lovebirds, we gotta go,” Sam told them as he and Steve waited by the door.

“You really need to get laid Sam,” Natasha quipped as he pulled back.

Sam opened and closed his mouth but no sound came out as Steve covered his mouth with hand to hide his amused smile. Bucky smirked before he and Natasha headed to the door.

Flash cave, Earth-1  
Not long after

Barry zipped his suit up before looking over at Caitlin.

“Tell Wanda and the others what’s going on, have them meet me there,” Barry ordered.

“Barry, are you sure about this?” Caitlin asked hesitantly.

“Our friends need our help. Besides, are you telling me you wouldn’t come if Steve needed your help?” Barry asked and Caitlin flinched. “I need to go Cait, they’re my family to.”

Without another word, Barry grabbed the Extrapolator and activated it, opening a breaching.

Avenger’s Compound, Earth-66  
Same time

“Barry’s on his way, he should get here before Cap and the others,” Rhodey told Vision as he walked back into the room.

“Perhaps we should not stay here. If they are looking for me, it won’t take them long to find us,” Vision suggested. 

Before Rhodey could respond, Vision suddenly cried out in pain. He was lifted into the air as Rhodey jumped, seeing a large alien creature, which seemed to be male, stabbing Vision through the side with a weapon that resembled a spear. Another creature, this one a female, came and used a weapon that also looked like a spear to blast Rhodey. Rhodey was sent flying as Vision was slammed onto the ground. The female put her weapon onto Vision’s forehead and he cried out in pain as he felt the stone beginning ripped out of his forehead.

Suddenly, a blue portal opened up and a red blur sped out. The blur hit the female, sending her flying and Barry grabbed the weapon as the male tried to strike him.

“Bad guy?” Barry asked Vision, who gave a pained nod. “Good to know.”

Barry sent a power kick to the man’s chest, cutting him in the abdomen with his weapon before speeding out of the way as Rhodey, now in his War Machine armor, fired missiles at the male. The missiles hit the male, who cried out as he went flying. Barry, meanwhile, engaged the female, blocking her strikes as he sent a powerful kick to her abdomen, forcing her back. Barry then sped around her in a circle, to her confusion, until he threw a lightning bolt at her. It hit her in the chest and she was sent flying back, landing next to the male. 

“Get up,” she hissed at him as Barry and Rhodey approached them.

“I can’t,” he said, still feeling the effects of the missile. 

“We don’t wanna kill you, but we will if we have to,” Rhodey told them.

“You’ll never get the chance again,” the female said before a light broke through the roof.

Barry and Rhodey stepped back as the light hit the aliens, seeming to take them up. The weapon in Barry’s hand was also sucked out of his hand, into the light and after the aliens before it disappeared. Barry and Rhodey stared up at the roof as they saw the light fade a ship that looked like a giant circle take off through the hole in the roof.

“What the hell was that?” Barry wondered.

“The same ship that we saw on TV earlier, or at least a replica,” Rhodey said as his mask retracted and he looked over at Barry. “Thanks for coming man.”

“From the looks of it, I got here just in time,” Barry said as a man he didn’t recognize burst in.

“I saw the ship outside, is everyone okay?” Bruce asked frantically.

“Yeah, we’re fine Bruce. Barry, this is Dr. Bruce Banner,” Rhodey introduced and Barry started.

“Bruce Banner, as in the Hulk?” Barry asked shocked.

“The same,” Bruce said, eying the unknown man curiously.

“We can make introductions later. Vision, you okay?” Rhodey as he moved to help his teammate up, Barry joining him.

“I can’t phase,” Vision said in shock as they helped him to his feet. “That shouldn’t be possible.”

“We’re not safe here. Rhodey, is there anywhere we can go? Tony’s not stupid, he must have some off the grid safe house or something,” Barry said and Rhodey frowned in thought.

“There might be one place. Come one, we need to get to the Quinjet,” Rhodey ordered.


	3. The Playground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they continue to gather allies, Vision proposes an extreme solution that makes Barry and Rhodey bulk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will reference some events from Agents of SHIELD season four but it is not necessary to have seen the show to understand.

Quinjet  
Afternoon

As Sam flew towards The Compound, Steve was silent, musing on everything that was happening. Feeling his pocket vibrating, he pulled out his phone and answered.

“Bruce?”

“Hey Cap. Listen, we were attacked at The Compound,” Bruce said and Steve started. “We’re okay, but it’s not safe for us there. We’re in a Quinjet, headed somewhere safe. Rhodey’ll send you the location.”

In another Quinjet, on the way to the same location, Barry was looking at Vision’s wound.

“Pretty nasty cut you’ve got there,” Barry said as he looked up at Vision. 

“Thank you for coming to my aid Mr. Allen,” Vision said gratefully.

“What are friends for?” Barry asked and Vision frowned.

“Is that what we are? Friends?” Vision asked and Barry paused.

It was a fair point, Barry conceded. He and Vision had never been particularly close during his stay on Earth-66, which wasn’t helped by Vision’s rather obvious crush on Wanda. But, at the end of the day, Barry would die for Vision, just like he would any Avenger. 

“No, we’re family. Doesn’t mean we have to get along all the time,” Barry joked and Vision smiled slightly.

“Well, Cap was confused, but they got the coordinates. They’ll be heading to this location wherever it is now,” Bruce said as he walked over, sitting by Barry. “So, the multiverse is real?”

“The multiverse, time travel, everything you thought was impossible is true,” Barry said as he looked over at Bruce. “Nice to see you again Dr. Banner.”

“We’ve met?” Bruce asked confused.

“Briefly. You were…the other guy,” Barry said awkwardly and Bruce nodded.

“Right, sorry you had to see that,” Bruce said with a grimace.

“Nice to meet the man behind the beast. I’ve read some of your work. It’s ground breaking Dr. Banner,” Barry said and Bruce smiled.

“Nice to be appreciated for something other than my work as an Avenger,” Bruce said dryly.

“Hey guys, strap in, we’re coming in for a landing,” Rhodey called back from the front seat.

Bruce, the only one not strapped in, did so as they heard what sounded like a metal door opening up. Rhodey brought them in for a landing, the Quinjet stopping as it touched down. Rhodey got out of the pilot’s seat, helping Barry get Vision to his feet as the ramp lowered. Barry and Rhodey helped Vision down the ramp, Barry and Bruce looking around in awe.

“What is this place?” Barry asked awestruck at the base around them that reminded Barry a lot of Team Arrows’ bunker.

“It’s called The Playground. Used to be SHIELD’s HQ after the fall,” Rhodey explained and Barry and Bruce whipped their heads towards him.

“SHIELD?” Barry questioned.

“I thought SHIELD fell during the Hydra uprising,” Bruce said confused.

“It did, but some operatives reformed it. This was their base until last year. I’m not sure what exactly happened but there was an explosion that burned this place to the ground. Tony thought it was a good idea to have an off the grid base in case Ross ever decided we needed to be taken out, so, with some help from our friend in Wakanda, he fixed it back up, good as new,” Rhodey explained.

“Well, let’s get Vision to the lab, see if we can fix up that wound,” Bruce suggested.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t,” Vision suggested and they stopped cold. “I’ve been giving this a great deal of thought.”

“Giving what a great deal of thought Vision?” Bruce asked wearily.

“The stone. If Thanos acquires it, it presents a great deal of danger not only to earth, but to the universe. I think the best way to stop that is to destroy the stone,” Vision said.

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?” Rhodey asked wearily.

“I think if the stone were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature…its molecular structure will fail,” Vision said.

“You mean Wanda. You want Wanda to kill you,” Barry realized.

“No, we’re not doing that man,” Rhodey said immediately.

“Rhodey’s right, we don’t sacrifice our friends,” Barry agreed.

“Two years ago, you took yourself off the board when you felt you were a danger to the mission. Tell me, how is this any different?” Vision challenged and Barry narrowed his eyes.

“That’s not the same thing and you know it. And it turned out to be the wrong decision!” Barry snapped.

“Because you might have a choice,” Bruce, although lost on some of what was said, felt this was his chance to speak up. “Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays: Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from each other.”

“You’re saying that Vision isn’t just the stone?” Rhodey asked.

“I’m saying that if we take out the stone, there’s still a whole lot of Vision left. Maybe the best parts,” Bruce said.

“Can you do that?” Barry inquired.

“With the right equipment, maybe,” Bruce said.

“Well, let’s get to the lab then,” Rhodey said, beginning to lead them down the hall.

Central City, Barton house, Earth-1  
Later in the afternoon

Wanda pulled on her red leather jacket, looking down at her daughter, who was sleeping in the crib that Clint had built on nights he and Laura would watch Freya. Wanda leaned down, kissing Freya on the forehead. Freya stirred slightly but didn’t wake as Wanda stood back up.

“Daddy and I will be back soon. Be good for Grandpa Clint and Grandma Laura,” Wanda whispered.

Taking one last look at her daughter, Wanda exited the room. She made her way downstairs, where the others were waiting. Cisco was dressed in his suit as Caitlin, Clint, and Laura waited.

“Ready to go?” Cisco asked as he saw her and she nodded.

“You sure you don’t want to come?” Wanda asked as she looked over at Clint.

“I’m retired. Besides, I think you have enough hands on deck to stop this Thanos guy,” Clint said confidently.

“Wally and I can protect the city while you’re away. Just take Thanos down,” Caitlin said.

Cisco and Wanda nodded before Cisco opened up a breach.

The Playground, Earth-66  
Not long after

Bruce was working on Vision when a blue portal opened up. Bruce jumped as Cisco and Wanda stepped out, the breach closing behind them.

“Bruce,” Wanda greeted politely.

“Wanda. Nice hair,” Bruce said, referring to her hair that had been dyed red.

“Thank you,” Wanda smiled politely as she glanced over at Cisco. “This is Cisco Ramon.”

“Vibe,” Cisco said, walking over and holding out a hand to Bruce. “So you’re The Hulk. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I’m just a doctor with a…” Bruce trailed off, not sure how to phrase it.

“Furry little problem?” Cisco joked and only got a blank look. “Harry Potter? Seriously?”

“Vis,” Wanda greeted not unkindly.

“Wanda,” Vision smiled slightly.

“So, what’s going on here?” Cisco asked as he gestured to where Vision on the table to Bruce.

“I’m trying to get the stone out of Vision’s head. Barry tells me you were able to,” Bruce said as he looked over at Cisco. “I’d really like your input on this Mr. Ramon.”

“I’m gonna need some context here, what is going on?” Cisco asked confused.

Out in the hanger, Barry was waiting as the Quinjet touched down. The ramp lowered as Barry approached it, four people getting off.

“Nice beard Cap,” Barry said as he pulled out his cell phone and took a picture. “I’m sure Caitlin is gonna love that look.”

“Good to see you Barry,” Steve said with a smile, grasping Barry’s hand in a firm handshake. “Thank you for coming.”

“How could I not?” Barry asked as he dropped Steve’s hand, accepting a hug from Natasha. “Good to see you Nat.”

“You to, how’s that baby?” Natasha asked as she let him go.

“Her name is Freya. And I’ve got some pictures if you wanna see later,” Barry said as he looked over at Sam and Bucky. “You guys look like crap.”

“Well, there haven’t exactly been in any four star hotels last few years,” Sam said he walked over and hugged Barry. “Good to see you man. Sorry we missed the wedding.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Barry said as he stepped back, looking over at Bucky. “I see you cut your hair. Decided you had enough of looking like a hippy?”

“Cute Allen,” Bucky said with a grin as Sam snickered.

“I was tired of rolling over in bed and getting a mouth full of hair,” Natasha said and Barry blinked.

“So you two are…wow. Well, I’m happy for you,” Barry said as he looked between Bucky and Natasha.

“Well you don’t live with them,” Sam said with a disgruntled look.

“Hey, just because you’re not getting any,” Bucky shrugged.

“Okay, really could have gone my whole life without that image in my head,” Barry said with a disgusted look on his face as Wanda walked in.

“Hey girl,” Sam said, drawing the others attention as he walked over to her. “Nice hair.”

Wanda simply smiled as they hugged, the others walking over.

“Good to see you Wanda,” Steve said with a friendly smile. 

“It’s good to see you to Steve, all of you,” Wanda said as she looked around at her old friends.

“Who else is here?” Bucky inquired.

“Just Cisco. Clint says he’s retired and Caitlin and Wally stayed behind to protect the city,” Wanda explained.

Rhodey was in the office, in a video conference with Ross. Predictably, it wasn’t going well. 

“So, you decided to team up with the world’s most wanted criminals?” Ross demanded.

“You do know they’re only criminals because you’ve chosen to call them that, right sir?” Rhodey snapped.

“My god Rhodes, your talent for horseshit rivals my own,” Ross said.

“If it weren’t for those Accords, we all would have been there to fight with Tony,” Rhodey snapped.

“I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel,” Ross said as his hologram stood up and walked over to Rhodey.

“Yeah, that’s right. And I’m pretty sure I paid for that,” Rhodey said as he glanced down at his leg with the brace on it.

“You have second thoughts?” Ross demanded.

The door opened and the two men looked over as Steve, Natasha, Barry, Sam, Bucky, and Wanda walked in.

“Not anymore,” Rhodey said.

“Mr. Secretary,” Steve greeted, still polite.

“You’ve got some nerve, I’ll give you that,” Ross said with a dark smile.

“Seems to me you could use some of that nerve,” Barry said coolly.

“The world’s on fire. And you think all’s forgiven?” Ross demanded as he looked at Steve incredulously.

“I’m not looking for forgiveness. And I’m way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we’re here to fight. You wanna stand in our way, and we’ll fight you to,” Steve said boldly.

With a sneer, Ross looked over at Rhodey.

“Arrest them,” Ross said before his hologram faded away.

“Well, looks like you’ve been court martialed. Good to see you Cap,” Rhodey said

“You to Rhodey,” Steve said, shaking his hand. “So, care to bring us up to speed?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, it really bugged me how Bruce, one of the people who created Vision, didn’t even try and see if he could get the stone out. It made the Team Cap storyline in IW feel a little rushed. So I’m fixing that.


	4. Return to Wakanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Cisco and Bruce fail to remove the stone from Vision's head, Steve has another suggestion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter will introduce the adult version of Freya Allen. In my reviewer poll, there were a lot of great suggestions for an actress to play her, some not so great ones to. Ultimately, I decided to go with Jenna Coleman because, when I was picturing Freya, Jenna was the closest thing to what I was imagining from the suggestions I got.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who made a suggestion.

The Playground  
Afternoon

After they were all caught up from Rhodey, the group of seven made their way to the lab. They entered and stopped and stared at the sight of Cisco and Bruce in a heated discussion. 

“What are they saying?” Sam whispered to Barry, the scientists talking too fast for the others to understand.

“They’re arguing about the stone,” Barry told him.

Steve cleared his throat and the pair stopped, looking over at their audience with more than a little embarrassment. 

“Cisco, Brue,” Steve greeted amused.

“Hey Cap,” Brue said awkwardly.

“Good to see you Bruce,” Steve said warmly and Bruce nodded.

“You to,” Bruce said before he looked over at Natasha. “Hey Nat.”

“Hi Bruce,” Natasha said awkwardly.

“This s awkward,” Sam said and Barry and Wanda glared at him as Bucky simply looked uncomfortable.

“So, where are we with the stone?” Steve asked.

“We’re not,” Cisco said regretfully.

“I don’t have the right equipment to remove the stone from Vision, not without killing him,” Bruce explained.

“Cisco, you did it before. Can’t you do it again?” Steve inquired but Cisco shook his head.

“What I did was put Vision into a coma so he wouldn’t die when Alexei removed the stone, I wasn’t even sure it would work. Even if I did the exact same thing, we’d need to put the stone back or Vision would just be comatose,” Cisco explained. 

“Then there is only one thing we can do,” Vision said.

“No, we’re not having this conversation again,” Rhodey said to the confusion of the others.

“Someone want to fill us in?” Bucky asked. 

“Vision wants Wanda to kill him,” Barry said and there was a moment of stunned silence.

“What?” Wanda asked shocked.

“Thanos, he will not stop until he gets the stone. I think if the stone were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, its molecular structure will fail,” Vision repeated what he had told the others.

“And you along with it,” Wanda noted sadly.

“It’s the only way we can be certain Thanos will not get his hands on all the stones,” Vision said certainly. “Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him.”

“But it should,” Steve spoke up. “We don’t trade lives Vision.” 

“There are no other options Captain. Dr. Banner and Mr. Ramon cannot remove the stone without killing me,” Vision pointed out.

“We need to find someone who can then,” Natasha said as Steve had a thought.

“I know someone.”

Unspecified location, 23 years in the future

Freya Allen walked into a library, lingering in the doorway. A figure stood in the room, his legs crossed as he levitated above the ground. He wore a golden helmet and a blue suit with golden symbols on it.

“Freya,” he said, his voice echoing through the room as he lowered himself to the floor, standing up to face her. “I know where you have been.”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Freya said her heart racing.

“Do not think you can lie to me. I know you went to the past,” Dr. Fate said sternly as he crossed his arms. “You traveled back to the day your parents were married.”

“I wanted to see them. Is that so wrong?” Freya asked defensively.

“No, it isn’t. But you know that interfering in the past can have unintended consequences. The smallest change can have long lasting ramifications, you know this,” Dr. Fate said firmly but not unkindly.

“I just want to see them,” Freya said, tears flowing down her face.

“And you will,” Dr. Fate said as he put two arms around her. “But you must be patient. We must wait to act. In infinite possibilities, there is only one in which we emerge victorious. We must make that one possible by not acting until we are needed.”

Quinjet  
Some hours later

Sam was flying them towards their destination as Cisco sat in the copilot seat, looking around at the controls in awe. As Bucky and Rhodey had a conversation about whether a missile or a gun had superior accuracy, Wanda and Barry showed Natasha and Steve pictures of Freya on their phones. 

“She’s beautiful,” Natasha complimented as Wanda showed her a picture of Freya’s first birthday party. 

“Thank you,” Wanda said as a beaming smile crossed her face.

As Steve looked at the phone, he stiffened as Barry switched the photo to one of Caitlin holding Freya. Barry noticed this, turning the phone off and pocketing it. 

“You okay?” Barry asked and Steve was silent, staring off into space.

“How is she?” Steve inquired.

“She’s good. Cisco made her head of her own department. She seems happy,” Barry said honestly and Steve nodded. 

“And is there…anyone?” Steve asked awkwardly, feeling a little shame at the relief he felt when Barry shook his head.

“She’s gone out on a few dates but they never go past one. She says she doesn’t click with them but…the truth is, although she’ll never say it, none of them are you,” Barry told him honestly.

Steve nodded, Steve the person disappointed Caitlin hasn’t seemed to have moved on and Steve the guy happy she hasn’t.

“Hey Cap, we’re coming up on it,” Sam called back. 

Steve nodded, getting out of his seat and walking up to the controls.

“Drop to 2600, heading 030,” Steve ordered.

“Hope you’re right about this, otherwise we’re gonna land a lot faster than you want to,” Sam muttered as he followed orders.

The Quinjet flew lower, passing through the barrier that hide Wakanda from the outside world. Rhodey and Bruce looked at the city in awe as Sam flew the Quinjet towards the palace, where T’Challa and his guards were waiting. Sam brought the Quinjet in for a landing and lowered the ramp. Together, the group walked down the ramp and met T’Challa outside.

“I feel like I’m always thanking you for something,” Steve said in greeting, shaking T’Challa’s hand.

Bruce cleared his throat, bowing as everyone looked at him weirdly.

“What are you doing?” Rhodey asked.

“We don’t do that here,” T’Challa told Bruce.

Rhodey grinned as Bruce shot him an annoyed look while everyone else turned back to T’Challa.

“Mr. Allen, Mr. Ramon, good to see you again, although I wise the circumstances were better,” T’Challa said as he turned to the Earth-1 natives. “You as well Mrs. Maximoff. I apologize I could not make the wedding.”

“It’s okay,” Wanda said as they began making their way towards the palace.

“How big of an assault should we expect?” T’Challa asked, getting down to business. 

“Um, sir, I think you should expect quite a big assault,” Bruce spoke up as they followed him.

“How we looking?” Natasha inquired.

“We will have my Kingsguard, the Border Tribe, and the Dora Milage,” T’Challa answered.

“I’m not sure that will be enough,” Bruce said uneasily.

“It’ll have to be,” Steve said firmly. “Sam, Buck, Rhodey, you three stay out here, form a perimeter with the guards. The rest of us will head inside.”

No one argued, finding Steve’s order agreeable. The group made their way into the palace and into the lab, where T’Challa’s sister, Shuri, was waiting for them. 

“It is good to see you all again,” Shuri said as she greeted The Avengers.

“This lab is everything,” Cisco said in geeky awe as he looked around. “When the world’s not ending, can I get a behind the scenes tour?”

“Let’s not take up all of T’Challa’s patience,” Barry said quickly but T’Challa simply smiled.

“We shall see Mr. Ramon. But, at the moment, we have more pressing matters,” T’Challa pointed out.

Everyone was quiet as Vision got onto the table and Shuri began scanning him. Once she was done, Shuri opened her palm and, to the surprise of everyone not from Wakanda, a holographic display appeared in her hand.

“The structure is polymorphic,” she noted.

“Yeah, we had to attach each neuron non-sequentially,” Bruce explained.

“Why didn’t you just reprogram the synapses to work collectively?” Shuri inquired.

“We didn’t have a lot of time…and we didn’t think of it,” Bruce added as an afterthought.

“Well, I’m sure you did your best,” Shuri said with the arrogance of a teenager.

“Can you do it?” Barry asked.

“Yes, but there are over two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures. It will take time brother,” Shuri said as she looked over at T’Challa.

“How much time do you need?” Wanda asked.

“As much as you can give me,” Shuri answered.

Suddenly, there was a sound that sounded eerily similar to a blaring alarm. Okoye raised her palm and a holographic map appeared in her hand.

“Something is entering the atmosphere,” she said grimly.

“Thanos,” Steve said darkly.

Suddenly, they heard an explosion. Everyone looked out the window, seeing something had hit the force field. But, thankfully, the barrier had held. 

Outside, as he and Sam stood watching, Bucky grinned.

“God I love this place,” he said.

“Don’t start celebrating yet. Guys, we got more incoming outside the dome,” Rhodey said over the Comms.

True to his word, several pyramid shaped ships landed outside the force field, causing a ripple in the ground. In the palace, The Avengers watched this, knowing it was time.

“It’s too late. We need to destroy the stone,” Vision said, starting to get up.

“Vision, get your ass back on the table,” Natasha ordered, walking over and pushing him back.

“We’ll hold them off,” T’Challa said, turning and walking off.

“Wanda, the moment that stone is out of his head, you blow it straight to hell,” Steve ordered and Wanda nodded.

“I will,” she promised.

“Evacuate the city, raise all defenses! Get this man a shield!” T’Challa barked, pointing at Steve. “Mr. Allen.”

A guard brought him something and T’Challa tossed it to Barry. Barry caught it, realizing it was a sword.

“In your language, it is called Lightning Strike. It has been in my family for generations. Use it well,” T’Challa said before walking out.

Barry pulled the sword out of its sheath, revealing bright red steel. Barry swung it around, getting the feel of it.

“Cool,” Barry grinned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who remember, towards the end of Torn Between two earths, Vision had flashes of the future during the finale battle with Savitar, including a man with a golden helmet. Well, that man was Dr. Fate. For those of you unfamiliar with him, Dr. Fate is basically the DC version of Dr. Strange, except his powers come from that helmet.
> 
> I thought Barry should have something other than his speed to rely on in battle. What do you think of him having a sword?


	5. Battle of Wakanda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Thanos' army finally here, The Avengers, Cisco, ad T'Challa's army face off in a battle fr the fate of the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I honestly did not expect the chapter to get this long. But, here we are.

Wakanda  
Afternoon

Barry stood on some sort of hovership that reminded him a lot of the kind he’d seen in Star Wars. The sword was strapped to his back by a leather strap as Barry stood shoulder to shoulder with Steve, T’Challa, and some Wakandian soldiers.

“Do you even know how to use that thing Barry?” Sam asked over the Comms.

“On a slow day at the office, Clint and I spare sometimes. He’s taught me a few things on how to handle a sword,” Barry shrugged.

“So that’s why you’re so much better at fighter than before,” Rhodey noted.

“That and some other things,” Barry said as he remembered his brief time as Oliver Queen. 

“Bruce, you doing okay?” Natasha asked.

“I think I’m getting the hang of it,” Bruce said, following behind them in Tony’s Hulk Buster suit.

Suddenly, Bruce accidently kicked off the jet boots, propelling him between two of the hoverships.

“This is amazing! It’s like being The Hulk without actually-”

Bruce suddenly tripped over a large rock, falling to his knees and hitting his face off the ground.

“I’m okay,” Bruce said as he stood up, picking the dirt and grass out his visor.

“I like this guy,” Cisco said amused.

“I’ve got two heat signatures breaking through the tree line,” Rhodey told them.

As the hover ships landed at their destination, they saw two beings at the end of the barrier. The Wakandian warriors and The Avengers assembled together as T’Challa walked up to one of the chanting warriors.

“Thank you for standing with us,” T’Challa said.

“Of course brother,” the warrior said in Wakandian. 

“So, shall we go greet our new friends?” Natasha asked and Steve nodded.

“Barry, Nat, you’re with us,” Steve said and pair nodded in agreement with their leader’s orders.

Together, Barry, Natasha, Steve, and T’Challa made their way down to the edge of the shield, where the female creature Barry and Rhodey had fought before was with a creature that looked like it came out of a monster movie.

“Hey, wasn’t there another one of you before?” Barry asked cheekily and the female glowered at him.

“You will pay for his life with yours,” she sneered. “Thanos will have that stone.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” Steve said firmly.

“You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but blood and dust,” T’Challa told them coolly.

“We…have blood to spare,” the female said, raising her weapon into the air. 

Suddenly, one of the ships grew larger, as if it was preparing to spit something out. The group sensed the fight was about to begin and silent began making their way back to their allies.

“I don’t suppose they decided to give up and go home?” Cisco asked and Barry gave him a blank look. “Didn’t think so.” 

The ships opened up and the female raised her weapon. Several creatures seemed to rush out and T’Challa said something in Wakandian, which is then repeated by his soldiers. The creatures come out of the trees, rushing towards the barrier and they get their first look at them. They mostly resembled the aliens from Alien, Barry and Cisco thought. They rushed the barrier, but didn’t stop there. To the shock and horror of everyone, they started pushing through, ignoring their burning skin. They were killing themselves to get in, with a few of them managing this.

“What the hell?” Bucky muttered.

“They’re killing themselves,” Okoye said softly. 

As the aliens rushed forward, the Wakandian soldiers taped their staffs, bringing up their shields and aimed their weapons. They fired, getting the invaders as Bucky assisted with his rifle while Bruce and Cisco each sent off blasts with their hands, trying to help in any way they could. Sam and Rhodey flew overhead, Sam firing and using the projectiles from his wings.

“You see the teeth on those things?!” Sam shouted over the blaster fire.

“Alright, back up Sam. You’ll get your wigs singed,” Rhodey said before several explosives on the creatures. 

Sam back off, flying away as the explosives went off, taking the aliens out. However, more kept coming.

“Cap, if these things circle the perimeter and get in behind us, there’s nothing between them and Vision,” Bruce warned.

“We better keep them in front of us then,” Steve said grimly.

“How do we do that?” Okoye asked and T’Challa was silent as he considered this.

“We lower the barrier,” T’Challa said before he tapped the Comms in his ear. “On my signal, lower south west section seventeen.”

“Requesting confirmation my king, you wish to lower the barrier?” the technician asked uncertainly.

“On my signal,” T’Challa confirmed.

“This will be the end of Wakanda,” M’Baku muttered.

“Then it will be the noblest end in history,” Okoye said fiercely. 

“You ready for this?” Barry asked as he looked over at Cisco.

“Nope. You?” Cisco asked as he flexed his fingers nervously.

“No,” Barry said as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Steve readied his shield as T’Challa said something in Wakandian. The soldiers lowered their shields as T’Challa stepped forward.

“Wakanda forever!” T’Challa roared before lowering his helmet. 

Together, the army began rushing forward as one, Barry doing his best to run at human speed. Not yet, he reminded himself. Once they were close enough, T’Challa tapped his Comms piece.

“Now!” He roared.

The middle of the barrier lowered and the aliens began rushing in. Barry took off, using his speed to his advantage. He pulled out his sword, whirling it as he reached the aliens. Barry made a quick strike, cutting off the arm of one alien, causing it to fall as T’Challa and Steve joined him, the pair assisting him in the flight as Cisco fired off to Vibe Beams, hitting a couple of the aliens.

“How much longer Shuri?!” T’Challa demanded as the armies began fighting.

“We’ve barely begun brother,” Shuri said over the comms.

“You might want to pick up the pace,” T’Challa said with a grunt of his pushed an alien back.

Barry, meanwhile, was a whirl of movement, speed and steel taking out multiple aliens. However, they were not easily to defeat. They seemed resistant to pain, needing a sword through the chest or a beheading to be stopped.

“For everyone we stop, two ore seem to pop out of their asses!” Cisco shouted as he fired two Vibe Beams, pushing back two aliens. “How do we stop them?!” 

“We buy Shuri enough time to get the stone out of Vision’s head, then Wanda can help us,” Natasha grunted as he fired two pistols, getting two aliens in the head.

“Well they better do it quick,” Barry grunted as cut off the head of an alien. “I’m not sure how much longer we can hold them off.

Nidavellir  
Same time

Thor laid on the ground, unmoving after holding open The Iris open to power the machine so Eitri could forge him a weapon capable of killing Thanos. Groot, a tree like, humanoid watched in concern as Rocket, a being with the body of a raccoon but the mind of a man and the mouth of a sailor, rushed over to Thor.

“Thor, say something. Come on. Thor, you okay?” Rocket asked, alarmed when Thor didn’t so much as twitch.

While this was going on, Eitri poured the contents of the forge onto the floor, desperately searching with his crippled hands for the parts needed. He found the two pieces of the axe, but no handle.

“I think he’s dying,” Rocket said alarmed.

“He needs the axe! Tree, help me find the handle!” Eitri called over to Groot.

Seeing the two pieces of the axe, Groot’s eyes narrowed in determination. Putting down his game, he walked over to the axe and his fingers lengthened, wrapping around the two pieces. With great effort, Groot ignored the heat, putting the two pieces together. With a grunt of pain, Groot chopped off his arm with the axe, completing the weapon as it fell to the floor with a loud bang.

Wakanda  
Not long after

The battle was continuing and they were losing. Rhodey was knocked out of the sky by a hammer like weapon wielded by the monstrous creature, which then flew back to him. Bruce and Steve found themselves surrounded by multiple aliens, too many for them to fight. Bucky was tackled to the ground by an alien, trying desperately to push its ravenous mouth away from his face. T’Challa was pushed to the ground and then tried desperately to get away as two of them grabbed his feet and began dragging him away.

Barry kept using his sword, cutting down as many aliens as he could, but there were simply too many, even for a speedster. One took advantage of his blind spot, making a cut across his back. Barry cried out as he was thrown to the ground, losing his sword. As the aliens tried to eat him, they were blast away by Cisco’s Vibe Beams.

“Thanks,” Barry said gruffly as he picked himself up, grabbing his sword as he stood up.

“We can’t keep this up, there are just too many,” Cisco said, out of breath. 

Suddenly, a large beam of light struck the area, taking out a few of the aliens. Everyone stopped and stared as an axe, sparkling with lightning, came out swinging like a Frisbee. It took out several of the aliens, including those trying to kill Steve and Bruce. As the light faded, the axe soared back into Thor’s hand, revealing him, Rocket, and Groot standing there, ready to fight.

“Who is that?” Cisco wondered.

“Thor,” Barry smiled in relief. “Something tells me the tide is about to turn buddy.”

Bruce laughed his mask retracting as he smirked.

“Oh, you guys are so screwed now!” he said gleefully.

“Bring me Thanos!” Thor shouted as he rushed forward, Rocket and Groot following behind him. 

Thor jumped into the air, his axe sparking as he brought it down on the ground, the lightning taking out several of the aliens.

Unspecified location, twenty three years from now

“You know what must be done,” Dr. Fate said as he and Freya stood in the library.

“Yeah, I know what I need to do,” Freya said with a sigh. “But why-”

“There is no why. We must follow events to their conclusion or all will be lost. There is only one alternative future where Thanos is defeated. If we wish to make sure that happens, you must do as I say. Do you understand?” Dr. Fate said and Freya sighed.

“I don’t like it, but I’ll do anything to save my parents,” Freya said grudgingly.

“Then run Freya, run,” Dr. Fate told her.

Freya nodded, turning and running off. Dr. Fate stood watching her retreating form before he turned, waving his hand. A golden portal appeared in front of him and he stepped through it, disappearing. 

Wakanda   
Now

“Come and get some space dog!” Rocket cried out as he fired his blaster at the aliens.

Seeing four aliens rushing towards the raccoon, Cisco opens up a breach near him. Another opened up under Rocket and he fell down into it. Rocket then popped back up, falling to his knees before Cisco. A few feet away, Bucky opens fire, taking out the aliens.

“I had that handled,” Rocket said as he stood up.

“Sure,” Cisco said, walking off.

“How much for the goggles?” Rocket asked him.

“I would rather carve out my own eyes than part with these things,” Cisco called back, firing tow Vibe Beams and taking out several aliens.

Nearby, Barry and T’Challa fought side by side against the monstrous creature when suddenly, the ships the aliens had arrived in, which now resembled giant monster trucks with blades, came rolling towards them.

“Fall back!” T’Challa cried out as Barry grabbed him, speeding away.

Up in the palace, seeing all this, Wanda’s worry for her husband and friends overcame her desire to follow Steve’s orders. She burst from the palace and lowered herself down to the battle field using her powers. With a few waves of her hands, the ships were sent flying back and bought them down on the aliens, killing a good number of them. As Barry and Natasha smiled in relief, everyone else stared in shock.

“Well why was she up there all this time?” Okoye wondered.

Up in the palace, Shuri was still trying to remove the stone when she heard noise behind her. She turned around to see a monstrous looking male with a weapon stalking towards her. She turned around, trying to complete her work as Wakandian guards fought off the creature. When they failed, the creature stalked towards Shuri. She picked up a blaster and whirled around, firing at him as another Wakandian guard fought him. However, he easily beat them, knocking them to a lower level. He jumped down after them but, before the creature could do anything, Vision tackled him, slamming him through the glass and sending them both falling down to the battle field. 

“Hey guys, we got a Vision situation here,” Sam said as he saw this before he was tackled.

“Someone get to Vision!” Steve ordered urgently as he fought another alien.

“I’m on it!” Bruce said as he flew towards the location.

“On my way!” Wanda said as she moved towards the location.

However, the female grabbed her, throwing her to the ground. The female then turned around, blocking Barry’s sword with her weapon.

“Lay your hands on my wife again, I’ll kill you,” Barry said coldly, channeling his inner Oliver Queen. 

“I doubt it,” the female said before pushing back as they two began a sword duel.

Elsewhere, Vision was surrounded by the two male creatures as Bruce landed In front of Vision.

“Oh no, this isn’t gonna be like New York pal. This suit’s already beat the crap out of the Hulk!” Bruce said confidently.

The larger creature grabbed Bruce’s arm and Bruce kicked the rockets off, dragging the creature away.

“Guys, Vision needs backup now!” Bruce warned as they crashed landed.

Vision was attempting to fight off the other creature when a breach opened up. Cisco stepped out, sending out two Vibe Beams. They blasted the creature, sending it flying back.

“Get out of here, I’ll hold him off!” Cisco shouted as he walked over to the creature, determined to take it down.

Meanwhile, Barry and the female were exchanging blows with their weapons. It was true, Barry was outclassed in every way but one: He was a lot faster. So, with his speed, Barry made a strike towards her arms and the female cried out as her weapon fell to the ground and her hands fell a few inches away. She fell to her knees, staring down at the stumps where her hands had been.

“Do it,” she sneered ash se looked up at him. “Kill me.”

“No. I’m not like you, I’m not a murderer. Besides, I think living with your failure is enough punishment for you,” Barry said as he turned to walk away. 

Enraged, the female stood up and lunged for Barry. However, she was suddenly lifted into the pair and cut down by one of the ships. Barry watched disgusted as her blood rained down on the ground.

“Gross,” Barry said as he looked over at Wanda. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, we need to get to Vision,” Wanda said and Barry nodded.

Cisco was thrown into a tree, hitting his head hard enough to knock him out. He slumped forward, out cold as Steve arrived, tackling the creature away from Vision. The two fought before the creature stiffened as a spear pierced through its chest. It fell down, dead, as Vision almost collapsed before being caught by Steve.

“Come on, we need to get you back to the palace,” Steve ordered.

Titan  
Same time

On the dead world of Titan, another battle for another Infinity Stone was taking place. Peter Parker was using his webbing to catch his falling allies and save them from falling meteors. 

Meanwhile, Stephen Strange and Thanos met in the battle field. Strange used his magic to send a blast at Thanos but Thanos jumped, avoiding it, sending his own blast from his gauntlet back at Strange. Strange used his magic to create a force field, sending it back at Thanos. But Thanos was prepared, using another stone to shatter the force field then gather it up, creating something similar to a meteorite. However, Strange waved his hand, a glowing orange circle appearing in front of him. When the meteorite hit, it turned into butterflies. Strange then waved his hands, creating multiple versions of himself, dozens, maybe hundreds. The Stranges then each tossed a whip of energy at him, restraining Thanos. Thanos, out of patience, clenched his fists and the energy whips and Stranges were wiped out except for the original. Thanos then flew up to Strange and grabbed him in a choke hold.

“You’re full of tricks wizard. Yet you never once used your greatest weapon,” Thanos yanked the necklace off Strange’s neck and crushed it. “A fake.”

Thanos angrily tossed Strange to the ground and attempted to clench his fist. However, a metal plate, which fit perfectly in his palm, flew into it, preventing him from doing that. Tony, in his new armor, landed several feet away from him.

“You throw another moon at me, and I‘m gonna lose it,” Tony sneered.

“Stark,” Thanos greeted and Tony paused, taken back.

“You know me?”

“I do. You’re not the only one cursed with knowledge,” Thanos said.

“My only curse is you,” Tony sneered.

Tony then sent several small missiles from his suit at Thanos. Each hit their mark, causing an explosion but Thanos was unharmed. Tony then flew at him, making his rocket boots much larger and slamming into Thanos. Tony then slammed his feet into the ground, made his hands into blocks, and slammed Thanos into a boulder However, Thanos pushed back, breaking Tony’s helmet. However, Tony’s helmet was quickly replaced by the nanotech in his suit, although it was visibly damaged. Thanos punched Tony, sending him to the ground as Thanos angrily ripped the plate from his palm. 

Able to use the gauntlet again, Thanos clenched his fists and the purple stone glowed, sending a blast of purple energy at Tony. Tony was able to produce a shield and used it to protect himself from the blast. Tony managed to get out of the way as Thanos stopped and he raced towards Thanos. Slammed his foot onto the gauntlet and making his suit pin it there, Tony then slugged the Titan, causing a small cut to appear on his face.

“All that for a drop of blood,” Thanos said as he fingered the wound, seeing the blood on his fingers.

Thanos then slugged Tony, sending him back onto the ground before Thanos beat him as Tony futilely attempted to block the strikes of the mad Titan. Thanos then picked up Tony and threw him away with a blast to Tony’s chest. Tony landed hand as Thanos approached. Tony sent two laser beams at Thanos but Thanos was able to block it with the gauntlet with no effort. Once Thanos reached him, Tony transformed his hand into a blade and tried to stab Thanos. But Thanos grabbed the blade, broke it off from Tony’s suit, and stabbed Tony with it in the lower abdomen. Tony gasped as pain seared through him and Thanos dropped him to the ground.

“You have my respect Stark,” Thanos told him. “When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you.” 

Thanos was about to use his gauntlet to end Tony when-

“Stop,” the two stopped, looking over at Strange. “Spare his life and I will give you the stone.”

“No tricks?” Thanos said and Strange shook his head.

“Don’t,” Tony pleaded but it was too late.

Strange brought the stone forth, a glowing, green stone no bigger than a human pinky, and it floated over to Thanos. Thanos placed it in its slot and breathed heavily as the gauntlet pulsed with its power.

“One to go,” Thanos noted.

The gauntlet was hit by a blast and Star Lord came rushing forward, firing at Thanos. Thanos dodged it and then disappeared into a blue portal as Star Lord rushed forward. His mask disappeared as the face of Peter quill looked around in confusion.

“Did we just lose?” Quill asked.

“Why’d you do that?” Tony asked weakly as he looked over at Strange.

“We’re in the endgame now,” Strange said cryptically. 

Wakanda  
Same time

“Cisco, wake up. Cisco,” Steve tried to wake the down Meta as Barry and Wanda appeared on the scene.

“Is he alright?” Barry asked concerned as he walked over to his best friend’s unmoving body.

“He’s knocked out. Barry, get Vision back up to the palace,” Steve ordered. 

Suddenly, Vision cried out as the stone on his forehead flashed and Wanda’s hair stood on end. Suddenly, a chill seemed to fill the air.

“He’s here,” Vision said to the alarm of his teammates.

“Everyone, on my position,” Steve ordered before turning to Barry. “Change of plans. Get Vision as far away from here as you can.”

“It will not matter,” Vision said, stopping them. “No matter where I go, he will find me.”

“Ugg, my head,” Cisco groaned as he sat up. “What’s going on?”

Suddenly, a blue portal, which looked like a more ominous looking breach, opened up. Barry and Steve turned to face it with the others as Cisco got to his feet, all of them watching as Thanos stepped out.

“That’s him Cap,” Bruce told him.

Barry sped in a circle as Bruce tried to rush Thanos. However, with a wave of his hands, Bruce was sent flying into a rock as he glowed blue. To his shock, Bruce went through the rock and was trapped in it. Barry threw a lightning bolt but, to his shock, Thanos simply absorbed it into his Gauntlet. Steve rushed forward but, with a wave of his hands, Barry and Steve were both sent flying back. Barry got up, clearly pissed.

“Hold him off for a minute. I’m gonna try something,” Barry said and Steve nodded as Barry sped away.

“Come on, let’s go,” Cisco said frantically as he rushed over to Vision. “We need to get you out of here.”

Cisco started to open a breach but, with a wave of his hand, Thanos sent Cisco flying back. He hit his head off a tree, becoming dazed but not losing consciousness.

“Wanda,” Vision said as the others began fighting Thanos, desperately trying to stop him. “You have to destroy the stone.”

“Vision, no,” Wanda said aghast.

“We are out of time. If Thanos gets the stop, half the universe will die. It’s not fair, it shouldn’t be you, but it is. The essence of heroism is to die so others may live,” Vision told her as Wanda looked at him sadly. “I am ready to die. Please Wanda, we don’t have time.”

“okay…okay,” Wanda said as she readied herself.

“For what it is’s worth…I am sorry for what I did to you,” Vision said and Wanda nodded.

“I know,” Wanda said as she blasted the stone with her power.

Several miles away, Barry stopped, before turning and rushing back.

Back at the location, as Wanda continued trying to destroy the stone, Cisco fired off a Vibe Beam at Thanos but Thanos caught it with his gauntlet. He walked forward, the unconscious and defeated bodies of the other Avengers surrounding him. Reaching Cisco, he grabbed Cisco by the neck, chocking him.

“Vibe. Cisco Ramon,” Thanos smirked at the look on Cisco’s face. “You’re not the only one who can see into other universes. You should’ve stayed in your section of the multiverse. If the stones worked there, I would gladly use them on your universe as well.”

Thanos then slammed Cisco down onto the ground, dazing the Meta. Thanos stood, preparing to stop Wanda and take the stone when he felt something. Thanos turned around as Barry sped in, using the gauntlet and meeting Barry’s supersonic punch. The energy sent a large shock wave and Barry was thrown back, crying out in pain as he felt his entire arm shatter. Barry landed on his side, gasping in pain.

“Don’t worry Flash, you’ll heal. If you survive,” Thanos said as he turned to Wanda.

However, by this point, it was too late. There was an explosion as the Mind Stone blew. Wanda was throw on her side from the force of the explosion. She sat up, crying softly as she grieved her friend.

“I understand my child. Better than anyone,” Thanos said as he approached.

“You could never understand,” Wanda sneered as she glanced up at him.

“Today, I lost more than you could ever know,” Thanos said as he walked passed her. “But now is no time for grief. There’s no time at all.”

Wanda watched, confused and transfixed, as Thanos waved his hand, a green circle appearing in the palm of his hand. She watched in growing horror as Vision was slowly reassembled until he was good as new, Mind Stone still there.

“No!” Wanda cried out, rushing forward.

But Thanos shoved her to the ground as he took Vision by the throat. Vision remembered his vision from over a year ago as Thanos gently took the stone before yanking. Vision knew no more as his body lost all color. Thanos tossed the body to the ground as he put the stone in its slot. There was a flash and Thanos glowed with the power.

Then, he was struck by lightning, being thrown back. Wanda and Thanos looked up as Thor hovered in the air. Thanos tried to send a blast of energy at Thor but Thor threw his axe in return. The axe easily cut through the energy and struck Thanos in the chest. Thanos cried out in pain as Thor landed in front of him.

“I told you you’d die for that,” Thor sneered, grabbing the axe and shoving it in just a little further and Thanos groaned in pain.

Thor stopped as Thanos seemed to be trying to say something to him.

“You should…you should have…you should have gone for the head,” Thanos said as he raised his hand with the gauntlet.

“No!” Thor cried out but it was too late as Thanos snapped his fingers.

There was a flash of energy and, when it faded, the gauntlet seemed damaged. It was smoking and looked like it had gone a few rounds with a monster truck.

“What did you do?! What did you do?!” Thor cried out in horror. 

Thanos didn’t answer, simply raised his hand. He disappeared in a blue portal, Thor’s axe falling and slamming onto the ground.

The other Avengers all stood up, staring in shock. Cisco walked over, gently helping Barry up to his feet as much as he could without hurting Barry. They all stared at the spot where Thanos had been moments earlier.

“Where’d he go? Thor? Where’d he go?” Steve demanded but Thor had no answer.

“Steve?”

Steve looked over and saw Bucky; his human hand seemed to be disintegrating. Bucky’s gun fell to the ground as he disappeared into dust. A strangled, pained wail pierced the air and it took everyone a moment to figure out it was Natasha, staring at the spot Bucky had been in moments earlier with pure horror on her face. 

A few feet away, T’Challa was helping Okoye up until, to her horror, he too disappeared into dust.

Not far, Rocket watched in pained sadness as Groot disappeared.

As Sam disappeared as well, Barry looked over and saw, to his horror, Wanda disappeared as well.

“No!” Barry shouted, pushing Cisco aside as he tried to catch her but Wanda was gone. “Wanda! No!”

“Barry.”

Barry turned around and stared, horrified, as he saw Cisco’s hands beginning to turn to dust. Cisco looked up at him, horrified, before he turned to dust just like the others.

Tahiti  
Same time

Coulson sat in a hammock, pleasantly relaxed as Melinda May at beside him. Then, in an instant, it all changed. Suddenly, there was only dust where May had sat and Coulson stared in horror, tying to understand what he had just seen.

The Lighthouse  
Same time

Alphonso Mackenzie, known to nearly everyone as Mack, cried out in horror as the love of his life Elena disappeared into dust.

“What just happened?” Piper asked horrified. “What just happened?!”

Nobody had an answer as they all stared at the spot where Elena had vanished. Then, Daisy was gone to, a dust pile on the floor just like Elena. Jemma looked down at her hands, seeing them turning to dust just like Elena and Daisy’s.

“Jemma,” Mack cried out but she just looked up at them with a smile as she disappeared.

England  
Same time

Hunter Lance and Bobbi Hunter were doing what they did best, arguing when Hunter suddenly stopped, grabbing his hand as if in pain.

“Hunter?” Bobbi asked concerned and he looked up at her.

“Bob,” Hunter said before, to her horror, he turned to dust right in front of her.

“Hunter?” Bobbi asked frantically, dropping to her knees and frantically searching for him through the dust but finding no trace of him. “Hunter!”

New York  
Same time

Frank Castle was in a bar, listening to everyone talking about the incident earlier with the aliens. Then, there were screams as Frank whirled around, seeing people disappearing, turning into dust.

“What shit is this?” Frank asked in shock.

Elsewhere, Nick Fury stared in horror on the street as the people around him disappeared.

“Nick,” he turned around to see Maria Hill, his partner, disappearing as well.

“Hill!” Nick cried out but he could do nothing but watch as Hill disappeared as well. 

Hell’s kitchen  
Same time

Foggy Nelson cried out in horror as he stared at the dust pile on the floor.

“Foggy, stop screaming!” Matt Murdock shouted.

“Stop screaming?!! Karen just turned into dust!” Foggy shouted in panic.

“I need to think Foggy!” Matt shouted.

But Matt realized then he couldn’t hear Foggy’s heartbeat. Because there was not one dust pile on the floor, but two. Foggy and Karen were both gone. It was just him. Alone.

Titan  
Same time

“Something’s happening,” Mantis said as the group all looked around.

Then, they watched in horror as she turned to dust, followed closely by Drax. 

“Stay steady Quill,” Tony said but Quill was soon gone as well.

“Tony,” Tony turned around to face Strange. “There was no other way.”

Strange then turned to dust as well. 

“Mr. Stark? I don’t feel so good,” Tony turned to Peter walking over to him.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Tony said, although he wondered if he was trying to convince Peter or himself.

“I don’t wanna go. I don’t wanna go,” Peter feel into Tony’s arms arm, his age showing for the first time as he feared death.

The two fell, Peter landing on his back and he smiled up at Tony, tears glistening in his eyes.

“Sorry,” Peter whispered before he turned to dust.

Tony put his hand to his face, struggling with emotion as he realized he had failed.

“He did it,” Nebula whispered softly.

Tony simply stared at the ground, trying to absorb everything that had happened.

Barton house, Earth-1  
Same time

Clint dropped the cup of coffee he was holding, staring with a wounded look on his face.

“Dad? Are you alright?” Lila asked her father concerned.

“Yeah…I’m fine kiddo,” Clint muttered, wondering what this feeling of dread was.

“Well, you better clean that up,” Laura said, bouncing baby Freya in her arms.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. As Clint got a towel, Lila went to answer it. She opened the door to reveal a dark haired woman standing on the other side.

“Hi Lila. Are your parents’ home?” she asked and Lila noticed she had a red jacket on just like Wanda’s.

“Mom, dad, someone’s at the door for you,” Lila called out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that happened.
> 
> I know some of you are probably disappointed The Decimation still happened, but, let’s be real. Thanos was so OP because The Avengers were divided, look what it took to finally take him down in Endgame. The addition of Barry and Cisco wasn’t going to stop that.
> 
> And yes, Agents of SHIELD was affected, because the last few episodes of season five were shown to be happening on the same day as Infinity War. I realize the writers couldn’t have known what was going to happen in Endgame, but saying it happened pre snap? Really? You’re not The Arrowverse Marvel, treat your fans with respect.


	6. Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry deals with the loss of Wanda and Cisco as Fate, Freya, and Fury begin recruiting allies. Thanos reveals an ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter obviously isn’t going to be my best. The next few chapters are basically going to be slower chapters compared to what’s been happening so far. Still, I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> First, I want to address something. I’ve been asked if I will make an Elseworlds sequel to this. Elseworlds will be covered in the sequel to A love of two earths. Not sure when I’ll get to that, because the finale of season seven depressed very much so and I’m easing myself into writing Arrow.

Deep space

The first thing Fitz was aware of was that he was cold. He opened his eyes, disoriented and confused at first. Then, as he saw he was in the cryo chamber and Enoch was staring down at him from the window, it all came back to him.

“Good morning Agent Fitz,” Enoch said as the chambered opened. “I’m afraid there’s been a change in plans.”

“Change in plans?” Fitz repeated shakily, his body shivering from the cold of the ice he’d been frozen in moments earlier. 

“The extinction level event has passed. But another event, which has affected the entire universe, has taken place. Just like before, you are needed Agent Fitz,” Enoch said and Fitz stared at him in bafflement.

“What?” 

“I believe that he can explain it better,” Enoch said as he glanced behind them.

Fitz followed is gaze to see a man in a golden helmet wearing a blue and gold suit with a cape standing behind. The man seemed to just radiate power, Fitz thought. Not like Coulson had, but more like Hive had. His entire being radiated power.

“Who are you?” Fitz asked confused, his teeth chattering.

“You may call me Dr. Fate,” Fate said as he walked over. “And you are Leopold Fitz. The one who will put all the pieces together. The one who will save us all.”

Earth-1, Barton house  
Afternoon

“Alright, let me get this straight,” Clint rubbed his forehead fighting off a migraine as he and Laura sat across from the woman who had asked to see them. “You’re Freya. From over twenty years in the future?”

“Twenty three,” Freya said as her grandparents stared at her in disbelief. “I realize this is a lot to take it.”

“The fact that we just put you down for a nap and now here you are a grown woman? No, not at all,” Clint said sarcastically and Freya smiled. 

“You don’t change much,” Freya said as she began fettling with the watch on her wrist. “You told me you’d need proof.”

Suddenly, a holographic picture appeared in between her side of the table and Clint and Laura’s. The couple stared at the picture of Clint, obviously older given the wrinkles on his face and grey in his hair, standing next to a younger Freya, who looked like she was in her early teens. Clint in the photo had a proud smile on his face as he had one of his arms wrapped around Freya’s shoulder as she held a bow in her hand. 

“I was fourteen then. You insisted I had to know how to defend myself, that I couldn’t always rely on my powers, so you taught me archery,” Freya said with a smile.

“Does sound like you,” Laura noted as she glanced over at her husband.

“You’ll understand if I need a bit more proof than a photo,” Clint said dryly and Freya nodded as she pushed a button, causing the hologram to fade.

“Call Caitlin, she’ll be able to prove that I’m exactly who I say I am. And then, you’ll believe me when I tell you why I came here,” Freya said grimly causing Clint and Laura to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomachs.

Earth-66, New York  
Same time

Frank looked around the streets with complete shock as at all the destruction from the panicking people. Somehow, people had started vanishing into dust like in the bar. It was happening all around New York, maybe all around the world. Frank had seen a lot of strange shit, but nothing like this. This took the cake.

“Mr. Castle,” a voice spoke up behind him.

Frank turned around to see a black man in a trench coat wearing sun glasses. Frank’s senses were telling him that this guy meant business.

“Relax Castle; I’m not your enemy. I’m Nick Fury, former director of SHIELD,” Fury said and Frank narrowed his eyes.

“Thought you were dead,” Frank said, reaching for his gun.

“Thought the same thing about you once,” Fury said and Frank nodded, having to give him that. “And if I wanted you dead, you’d never see me coming. So get your trigger finger away from that gun and let’s talk.”

After a moment of eying Fury wearing, Frank nodded, lowering his hand away from his gun.

“Alright, let’s talk,” Frank agreed.

Wakanda  
Not long after

After the battle, they had retired to the palace. Although none of them felt much like doing anything but curling up into a ball and breaking down.

Barry sat in the room Okoye had given him, sitting on the bed. He stared down at his hands numbly, seeing Wanda and Cisco turning into dust before his eyes. Barry glanced over at his side, seeing his suit and the claw marks where the alien had scratched him. It was damaged suit, a suited suit. But Cisco wouldn’t make him another one. Cisco would never do anything ever again.

Suddenly filled with fury, Barry tossed the suit away. Seeing the sword, he picked it up and threw it across the room, where it hit the wall with a loud bang.

“Barry,” Steve said as he entered the room, looking about as well as Barry felt.

“I don’t deserve the suit, I don’t deserve that sword. We call ourselves heroes, but we’re not. All we do is fight a losing battle,” Barry said as he turned away from Steve. “We lost. And now they’re all gone.”

“It’s not over yet Barry,” Steve said and Barry looked at him incredulously. “Thanos is still out there. There’s still a chance to undo this.”

“We’ll just lose again. We’re down by half Steve! Wanda, Sam, Cisco, Bucky, even T’Challa are all gone! Thanos is the one enemy we can’t beat!” Barry shouted.

“I can’t believe that. I won’t believe that,” Steve said firmly.

“Then you can go to hell,” Barry said as he sat down on his bed. “It’s over Cap. We lost.”

Flash cave, Earth-1  
Late afternoon

“Well,” Caitlin said as Clint, Joe, and Wally all stared at her. “Her DNA matches up perfectly with both Barry and Wanda’s. And she has definite signs of Speed Force energy in her system.”

“I told you,” Freya said as they all stared at her.

“We’re sorry, but it’s not the first time someone has come up to us claiming to our friend,” Joe said and Freya nodded.

“Zoom, I know. But, now that you know I’m who I say I am, I can tell you why I’m here,” Freya said and the four of them gave her their undivided attention. “Thanos.”

“Thanos, the guy trying to gather the Infinity Stones?” Clint asked, remembering Caitlin’s explanation about what was going on back on Earth-66.

“He didn’t try, he succeeded. And then he did exactly what he said he was going to do: half the life in section 66 of the multiverse was wiped out. Mom, Cisco, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes and so many others were all killed,” Freya said to their horror. “By now, it’s already happened.”

“Why didn’t you go back there then, stop this?!” Wally exploded.

“I couldn’t. Before it happened, Stephen Strange, a master of the mystic arts, looked into possible outcomes of the fight against Thanos. In millions of possible futures, there was only one where Thanos was defeated and everyone was brought back,” Freya explained.

“And let me guess, you know what it is?” Clint asked and Freya shook her head. 

“No, I’m only following orders from the person who does know,” Freya said, to everyone’s confusion.

“Who are they?” Caitlin inquired.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Freya said with a slight smile before frowning. “The point is things need to go a certain way if we want to win this, bring everyone back. Caitlin, Grandpa Clint, you need to head to Earth-66. They need you.”

“You sure about that?” Clint asked wearily and she nodded.

“Natasha needs you and dad and Steve need Caitlin. You lost because you were divided. If you want to beat Thanos, The Avengers need to stand together,” Freya told them firmly.

“Well…guess I better go tell Laura that I’m going on a business trip,” Clint said, knowing Laura and the kids wouldn’t be too happy with that.

“Just let me make calls. Can’t leave Star Labs as often as I used to,” Caitlin said and Clint nodded in agreement.

New Titan  
Same time

Thanos sat on the porch of his hut, staring out at the peaceful planet he planned to make his new home.

“I did what I set out to do,” Thanos said as someone walked up behind him.

“But it can still be undone. The Flash and The Avengers won’t stop until they succeed or are dead,” his guest said.

“I beat them before,” Thanos said and his guest laughed. 

“Beating them isn’t enough, killing them isn’t enough. You need to take away their hope. You need to make it so they will never be able to pick themselves back up again,” his guest said.

“You know them well, don’t you?” Thanos noted and his guest laughed.

“I know Allen. Leave him to me, you can deal with The Avengers,” Eobard Thawne said, a sick grin crossing the face of Harrison Wells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Thawne is here. He and Thanos are working together and he is how Thanos knows about the multiverse.


	7. Picking up the pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin and Clint arrive on Earth-66 to help their friends deal with the aftermath of Thanos' snap. At the same time, Freya and Fury begin recruiting allies to help their causes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if Thor or Nebula seem out of character. This is my first time writing Thor aside from a story he appeared in that I discontinued a while back and I’m not very familiar with Nebula.

Wakanda  
Late afternoon

Steve wearily walked towards the palace sitting room, remembered it from his brief time here after Siberia. He found Bruce and Thor there as well. He had lost sight of them after they returned to the palace, focused more on Barry and Natasha, he realized in guilt. 

“Cap,” Bruce greeted as Steve sat down on one of the couches.

“How are you two doing?” Steve asked and Thor let out a bitter bark of a laugh. 

“Thanos has whipped out half the life in the universe and you wish to know if we are okay?” Thor asked incredulously and Steve winced.

“Yeah, stupid question in hindsight,” Steve admitted.

“How’s Nat?” Bruce asked and Steve winced.

“Not good,” Steve said simply.

With the loss of Bucky, Natasha had done something he’d never seen her do in all the years he’d known her: She cried as she had a complete breakdown.

“Barnes,” Bruce said and Steve broke out of his thoughts. “Were he and Nat…”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded slowly. “They didn’t tell me all the details, but they have a past of some sort. Had a past. But seeing them together…I’ve honestly never seen him happier.”

“I’m sorry Cap,” Bruce said and Steve smiled weakly.

“Me to,” Steve said.

Suddenly, a Breach opened up at the edge of the room. Thor summoned Stormbreaker, preparing to fight but lowered it as Clint and Caitlin walked through. 

“Sorry I’m late to the party,” Clint said jokingly although everyone could tell it was a little forced. “Banner, Thor.”

“Hey Clint,” Bruce greeted.

“Barton,” Thor greeted.

“Hey Clint,” Steve said before his eyes were drawn to Caitlin. “Cait.”

“Steve,” Caitlin greeted in the same tone.

The other three began to feel awkward, feeling as though they were intruding on a private moment. But, as much as Caitlin would like to talk to Steve privately, she knew now wasn’t the time. Her best friend needed her.

“Where is he?” Caitlin asked instead.

Barry was still sitting on the bed in the room Okoye had given him, in the same position he’d been in when Steve left the room. The door opened and Barry looked over, expecting to see Steve again. But it wasn’t. To his shock, Caitlin stood in the doorway. Her heart broke as she saw the broken, defeated look in his eyes and on his face.

“What are you doing here Cait?” Barry asked gruffly.

“Clint and I, we know what happened,” Caitlin said as she walked into the room.

“How?” Barry asked and she wanted to tell him everything, to tell him about Freya.

But now wasn’t the time. She’d tell him in the morning.

“That’s not why I’m here,” Caitlin said as she sat down next him, pulling him into a hug.

The dam broke. Barry buried his head in her shoulder, breaking down as he sobbed into her shoulder. Caitlin just held him, silent tears streaming down her face as well as they both grieved. 

Natasha was lying on the bed in her assigned room, staring at nothing, numb to the world. She heard the door open but she didn’t turn to see who it was.

“Go away Steve,” Natasha said dully.

“Well, I know I’m good looking, but I’m not Cap,” Natasha shot up, looking at Clint stunned. “Hey Nat.”

“Clint. What are you doing here?” Natasha asked.

“You have to ask?” Clint asked as he sat down next to her. “How you holding up?”

“You know how I used to say love was for children?” Natasha asked softly and Clint nodded. “I lied. I just couldn’t let myself be that vulnerable with anyone; let them into my heart so completely. Because I knew if I lost them…it would break me. So I kept myself from letting anyone in that way. Even Bruce, I knew he would never really commit to anything because of the other guy. Until Bucky, until I got him back. I should have trusted my instincts.”

Clint wanted to tell her that she was wrong, that it wasn’t a mistake that she had let Bucky into her heart. But he knew his best friend well enough to know that wouldn’t be helpful right now. So he simply wrapped an arm around her, hoping to offer her some comfort in that moment. 

San Francisco   
Same time

Freya walked onto the roof of the building, heading towards the machine. She looked over at the van before she walked up to the machine.

“Really hope you were right Fitz,” Freya muttered as she began pressing buttons.

Suddenly, the back of the van, which had what looked like a miniature tunnel emerging from it, glowed orange. Freya heard a scream and a man in a strange suit fell to the ground. Scott Lang groaned as his helmet retracted and he stood up, looking around and spotting Freya.

“Who are you? And where are my friends?” Scott asked bewildered.

“Well Scott, a lot’s happened while you’ve been in the Quantum Realm. We have a lot to do, so let me catch you up to speed,” Freya told him as he looked at her bewildered.

New York  
Same time

“Nice place,” Frank said sarcastically as Fury led Frank into a rundown apartment. “So, you wanna tell me what this is all about?”

“Look around Castle, half the city is up and gone. And it’s not just New York, this is happening all around the world. I’m not even sure if The Avengers are still alive. If that’s the case, earth still needs protecting,” Fury said and it didn’t take Frank long to get what Fury was saying.

“So what, you want me to be part of your new Avengers? Do I look Avengers material to you?” Frank asked, laughing at the suggestion.

“You think what you’ve done holds a candle to what Natasha Romanoff has done? Before his stint in Afghanistan, Stark was basically a war profiteer. And you don’t even wanna know about Barton. You’re leaving behind a legacy of fear, people will tell their children one day to behave or The Punisher will come to get them,” Fury said and Frank stiffened, clenching his fists and Fury felt badly about the low blow before moving on. “I’m offering you a chance to leave behind a better legacy. To be something more than the big bad Punisher. This team, it’s about second chances. Question is…are you willing to take it?”

Tahiti  
Same time

The Zephyr touched down on the beach and Mack saw a figure sitting down on the beach.

“Stay here,” Mack said gruffly before moving towards the lover lever 

The ramp lowered as Mack reached it and Mack walked down onto the beach.

“She’s gone,” Coulson said once Mack reached him. “May’s gone. And I’m guessing she’s not the only one.”

“No. Elena, Daisy, Simmons, they’re all gone. It’s not just us, it’s happening all around the world. What’s happening sir?” Mack asked, desperately hoping Coulson would have some answers.

“I don’t know. But I’ve never seen anything like it,” Coulson said as he looked up at Mack. “Well Director Mackenzie, looks like we have our work cut out for us.”

Wakanda  
Same time

“I couldn’t save them,” Barry told Caitlin softly once he had gained control of himself. “Cisco and Wanda, I couldn’t do anything but watch them turn to dust. For a hero, I sure let a lot of people die.”

“You know I didn’t mean that,” Caitlin said, knowing he got that from her first time turning into Killer Frost.

“But it’s true. There are so many people I couldn’t save. My mom, my dad, Ronnie, Eddie, HR, and now Cisco and Wanda. I’m no hero Cait, I just…I fail. Every time, I fail,” Barry said miserably. 

“So, you stopping Savitar, that was you failing? Or when you beat Zoom, that was you failing? Or how about all the lives you’ve saved, the Metas you’ve stopped? Was that you failing?” Caitlin challenged.

“Cait-” Barry started.

“No, I’m not gonna let you do this to yourself. Not everything that happens is your fault. There was nothing you could have done Barry. Blaming yourself won’t bring them back. Going after Thanos might,” Caitlin said and Barry looked at her intently, causing her to smile slightly at the fact he seemed a bit more like himself. “Thanos’ gauntlet did this; it can undo it as well.”

“We can bring them back. We can bring them all back,” Barry realized with a bit of hope in his voice as Caitlin nodded.

“Exactly. Now, pick yourself up and get a goodnight sleep. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow,” Caitlin told him as stood up and she walked out of the room, leaving Barry to his thoughts.

San Francisco  
Same time

Scott barged into the house, frantically looking around.

“Cassie! Cassie!” Scott called out as he searched for his daughter.

“Daddy!” 

Scott turned and practically sank down to his knees as he saw his daughter rush to him, tears streaming down her face. Scott caught her in his arms, breathing in her scent as he felt relief coursing through him that his daughter was safe.

“Daddy, mommy and Jim, they turned into dust bunnies,” Cassie said as she pulled back, fear and confusion in her eyes.

“I know Peanut. Don’t worry, we’re gonna fix this, I promise,” Scott said as he pulled her in for a tight hug.

Titan  
Same time

Tony winced as Nebula stitched up his wound.

“Thanks,” Tony said as she finished. “So, what are the chances of making it back to Earth?”

“Very good, but you would be dead by the time we would reach it. The fuel cells on my sister’s ship were damaged. We would not make it in time,” Nebula said and Tony sighed.

“Figured that, but had to know for sure,” Tony grumbled.

Suddenly, they heard a noise, like the roar of an engine. The pair looked up to see a ship that resembled a plane entering the planet’s atmosphere. It landed several feet away from them. Nebula prepared for a fight, drawing her weapons to defend the wounded Tony if necessary as a ramp lowered. Three people emerged from the ship: what appeared to be an elderly human man with a bald head, a human several years his junior with brown hair and a man in a golden helmet.

“Greetings Nebula, Anthony Stark,” the seemingly elder man greeted them, throwing the pair for a loop. “I am Enoch. These are my companions, Leopold Fitz and Doctor Fate. We have come to escort you back to Earth.”


	8. Gathering reinforcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya and Fury continue to gather reinforcements as, in Wakanda, Steve and Caitlin reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a while, I’ve been a little focused on finishing a few other stories and working on a story called Ice cold deception, which is kind of becoming a favorite of mine to work on. But I’m back now and I will be trying to update more often now.

Hell’s Kitchen  
Morning

After a log night of searching, Matt Murdock entered his apartment, feeling completely defeated. They were all gone. Foggy, Karen, Maggie, Jessica, Luke, Danny. Everyone he cared about in this world was gone.

Matt’s hair stood on end as he realized he wasn’t alone. He heard two heartbeats in the room with him. He heard the sound of something firing and something came soaring towards him. Instinctively, Matt caught it, stopping it inches from his neck as he realized it was a tranq dark.

“I’m impressed Murdock,” Fury noted where he sat on Matt’s couch. “So, looks like Midland Circle falling on you hasn’t affected your skills at any rate.”

“Who are you?” Matt demanded.

“Nick Fury, former Director of SHIELD. I’ve been watching the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen for a long time,” Fury said and Matt stiffened. “We have a proposition for you.”

“Who’s ‘we’?” Matt demanded.

“What’s the matter Red, don’t recognize me?” Frank said and Matt started. “Matt Murdock. Shoulda known.”

“What are you doing here Frank?” Matt demanded.

“Like I said, we have a proposition for you. The world is at a tipping point. Governments are in disarray with lack of leaders. It would be easy for the world to collapse right now. What it needs is a group of remarkable people to give it hope again. I’m gathering a team to do just that,” Fury explained and Matt raised an eyebrow.

“So what, you’re putting together a new Avengers? And you think Frank and I can be what, the new Captain America and Iron Man? And you’re on board with this?” Matt asked, almost laughing as he looked over at Frank.

“Trust me; I thought it was a bunch of bullshit at first to. But the guy makes a lot of good points,” Frank said as he began rummaging through Matt’s fridge. “Don’t you have any beer?”

“Frank, focus,” Matt snapped.

“Right. I’ve always been what I need to be. The world, whether it would ever admit this or not, needed me to be The Punisher and you to be Daredevil. Maybe now it needs us to be something else. Maybe now, it needs us to be the next Avengers,” Frank said, finding a beer and taking a drink as he looked back at Matt. “I’m a military man Red; I’ll always answer the call to action. Will you?”

Avengers Compound  
Same time

“Cool,” Cassie said in awe as Freya led her and Scott inside the compound.

“Looks like there was a fight here,” Scott said as he noticed some of the damage from when Barry and Rhodey had fought the Children of Thanos. 

Freya waved her hand and Scott and Cassie watched, awe struck, as it glowed red before the damage was repaired.

“How’d you do that?” Scott asked amazed.

“I’m the daughter of The Flash and Scarlet Witch,” Freya said simply and Scott nodded.

“Right. Still having a little trouble with the whole time travel thing,” Scott said as he looked around. “Can’t believe I’m actually standing here.”

“Well, like I said, make yourselves at home. I’ll be back. I need to get some people. Living room is down the hall, kitchen is two rights and a left,” Freya explained.

“You know this place well?” Scott asked.

“I practically grew up here,” Freya said before speeding off.

Wakanda  
Same time

Barry made his way into the dining room, where Thor was eating solemnly.

“Man of speed,” Thor greeted as Barry sat down.

“Thor,” Barry greeted. 

For a moment, it was silent, the pair of them simply lost in their own heads, their own guilt and loss to say anything. Then, Steve walked in.

“Captain,” Thor greeted dully and Steve nodded.

“Thor,” Steve said before his gaze shifted to his other teammate. “Barry.”

“Steve,” Barry got out of his feet. “About last night, I-”

“It’s okay,” Steve assured him as he walked over and put a hand on Barry’s shoulder. “We all lost something, some more than others. You don’t have to apologize for how you chose to mourn.” 

“Still, I should never have taken it out on you. I’m sorry,” Barry said and Steve simply nodded.

“Can’t change the past, but we can change our future. We have to find Thanos. The stones did this, they can undo it as well,” Steve said and Barry nodded.

“So, what is your plan Captain?” Thor asked his full attention given to Steve. 

“We leave in a few hours,” Steve ordered. “The world needs to know we’re still alive. We’re heading back to the Compound. Rocket is trying to see if he can reach his friends on their ship, but considering they were going after Thanos, we can only assume the worst. And we still have no idea if Tony, this Spider-Man and Strange survived their encounter with Thanos or not.”

“So the odds aren’t in our favor. Nothing new,” Natasha said as she and Clint entered the room. 

“Nat,” Steve said as he looked over at her, seeing she seemed to have put herself back together.

Although how much of it was true and how much was for show, Steve didn’t know.

Natasha walked over to Steve and, in a rare moment of vulnerability, hugged him. Steve, although taken back, returned the gesture. 

“It’s gonna be okay, we’ll get him back,” Natasha said as she pulled back, although Steve wondered if she was trying to convince him or herself. “We’ll get them all back.”

“I know. Because I’m not sure what I’m gonna do if we don’t,” Steve admitted.

Meanwhile, Clint walked up to Barry.

“How you doing kid?” Clint inquired.

“About as well as you probably are,” Barry said and Clint nodded.

“Yeah, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that’s she’s gone. Every time I think about it just…I feel like this weight is pressing down on my chest,” Clint admitted and Barry nodded.

“I know what you mean. I’ve known loss and death; I’m no stranger to tragedy. But…seeing Wanda and Cisco disappearing in front of me, knowing I couldn’t do anything…,” Barry trailed off but Clint understood.

“We’ll get them back kid. And then, I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch,” Clint said darkly.

England  
Slightly later

Bobbi threw a man across the room in the run down hotel room, pulling out a gun as she stalked over to him.

“Tell me!” Bobbi snarled, grabbing by the collar and slamming him against the wall as she put the gun to his head. “Or I’ll blow your brains out.” 

“I swear I don’t know! No one knows what happened,” the man stammered, his English accent getting thicker as his fear increased.

“You always know what happens, there’s always some sliver of information that reaches you,” Bobbi snarled.

“Well not this time!” the crooked information said panicked. “I swear on my wife’s head!” 

“You don’t have a wife,” Bobbi sneered.

“From the looks of this place,” I’d say that’s obvious.”

Bobbi stopped, looking over her shoulder. Freya looked around, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the conditions of the apartment.

“Who the hell are you?” Bobbi demanded.

“Freya. Now not to tell you about how to do you interrogations, but rather than going through all your contacts, hoping they might have a lead on what the hell happened, how about you let these sleaze ball go and I’ll tell you what happened. More than that, how about I tell you how we bring Hunter and everyone else back,” Freya said, peaking Bobbi’s interest. 

“You know how to bring him back?” Bobbi asked, a raw vulnerability entering her voice and eyes.

“Yeah. So, let him go; let’s get out of here, and we’ll talk,” Freya told her.

Wakanda  
Same time

Steve was in the room Okoye had given him. He’d been trying to avoid this. He’d spent all night trying to avoid dealing with his losses, helping Barry and Natasha and then figuring out his next move. But now, he had nowhere else to run. He sat down on his bed, putting a hand to face as he finally allowed himself to grieve Bucky, Sam, and all the others he’d lost when Thanos had snapped his fingers. Hearing someone knock on the door, Steve pulled himself together, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Come in,” Steve said and the door opened, revealing Caitlin on the other side.

“Hey,” Caitlin said quietly.

“Hi Cait,” Steve said softly, gazing at her in a way that made her heart race.

“I wanted to see how you were doing,” Caitlin said as she walked into the room, shutting the door behind her.

“Honestly? Pretty bad,” Steve sighed tiredly and Caitlin noticed how worn out he looked. “Bucky, Sam, Wanda, they’re all gone. T’Challa is to, Tony might be as well. And I couldn’t save them.”

“No one could’ve,” Caitlin said as she sat down next to him. “I had this conversation with Barry last night. Steve, it wasn’t your fault.”

“I was leader, that makes it my fault,” Steve said sharply.

“Steve, you’re not a god. We do the best we can, sometimes that isn’t enough, but that’s when we find out how strong we really are,” Caitlin said gently and Steve looked over at her, a vulnerable look in his eyes.

“I’ve missed you…more than I can say,” Steve said after a moment of silence, the air filled with the tension between them.

“I missed you to, but you had to go,” Caitlin said softly.

“I thought of you. Every day,” Steve said softly.

“I thought of you to. I tried to move on, but…every guy I went out with, I ended up comparing them to you,” Caitlin said as she put a hand on the side of his face. “And the whole time, all I could think about was you.”

For a moment, they just stared into each other’s eyes. Then, slowly, they leaned in until their lips met.

The Lighthouse  
Late morning

“Good to have you back sir,” Davis said as Coulson walked in with him, Piper, and Mack.

“It’s been less than a day Davis,” Coulson pointed out. “I thought I could live my last days in peace. Apparently, the universe had other plans. What do we know?”

“Yesterday afternoon, for reasons that remain unclear, half the population disappeared, disintegrated,” Mack said as Piper brought up a new feed, showing people disintegrating as people panicked. “Governments all over the world are in shambles because of a lack of leaders. There’s chaos sir.”

“Thanos,” Coulson said grimly and Mack looked over at him.

“The guy The Confederacy warned us about?” Mack asked and Coulson nodded.

“They said his lackeys were here and now half of the human race has been wiped out. I doubt it’s a coincidence,” Coulson muttered.

“Fitz always said you were smart. As usual, he’s right.”

The pair of them turned around to see a dark haired woman with green eyes wearing a familiar red leather jacket they’d seen only in footage of Avenger duty. But it was blond haired woman with her that had their attention.

“Bobbi?” Mack breathed.

“Hey Mack, sir,” Bobbi said with only a shadow of her usual energy.

“Hunter, is he…” Mack trailed off as he saw the answer in Bobbi’s broken eyes.

“There was nothing I could do,” Bobbi said brokenly. 

“Save your tears, there’s work to be done,” Freya said as they all looked over at her. “You’re right Coulson, Thanos is responsible. He wiped out not just half the life on earth, but in the entire universe, on every planet.”

“How the hell could he do that?” Piper asked.

“The six infinity Stones, the most powerful objects in the universe. Thanos used them to wipe out half of life in the universe. But there is a silver lining,” Freya said as they all stared at her. “The stones, just as they destroyed half of the life in the universe, they can also bring it back. We just need to get the stoned away from Thanos.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re a little short staffed…” Coulson said, trailing off as he realized he didn’t know her name.

“Freya, my name is Freya,” she introduced herself. “I’m well aware that we don’t stand a chance against Thanos. Which is why SHIELD cannot act alone. A new age of SHIELD is dawning Coulson. It’s time for you to step out of the shadows and into the light. It’s time for you to rejoin The Avengers.”


	9. Return to the Compound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin tells Barry about Freya as The Avengers begin to gather at the Compound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry nothing big really happens this chapter, but next chapter, the plot will really start to move.

Wakanda  
Late morning

“Thank you for everything,” Steve said as he shook Okoye’s hand. “I’m just sorry this didn’t turn out the way we hoped.”

“Wakanda will survive, as we always have,” Okoye said, a mask of coldness hiding her true emotions. “Take care Captain.”

Steve nodded before dropping her hand. He turned and walked up the ramp, entering the Quinjet. Clint and Natasha were in the pilot and co-pilot seats respectively. Caitlin sat next to Barry, who was looking down at his sword with a look that Steve knew meant he was wondering if he deserved the sword. Thor sat next to Rocket with the same solemn stare he’d had since the snap. Bruce and Rhodey also sat next to each other as the ramp lifted up, closing.

“Where to Cap?” Clint called back.

“Home,” Steve said simply. “The world needs to know that we’re still alive. That there’s still hope.”

Clint nodded, starting to take off as Steve sat down. Caitlin looked over at Barry, knowing now was as good a time as any to tell him about Freya.

“Barry,” Caitlin said softly and he looked over at her. “There’s something you need to know…”

The Lighthouse  
Same time

“How do we know any of this is true?” Davis demanded as they eyed Freya. “You could just be lying to us.”

“He said you’d be hard to convince,” Freya said, to their confusion. “I’m gonna reach into my pocket now. Don’t shoot me.”

Freya slowly reached inside her jacket pocket and pulled out a small, circular device. She pressed a button and a holographic screen appeared in front of her. The others all stared at the screen, shock on their face.

“Fitz?” Coulson breathed.

Indeed, it was Leopold Fitz, their lost teammate. However, it was not the Fitz they knew. He was several years older; his heir had started to grey and there were scares on his face that weren’t there now. He looked weighed down by loss and pain, his eyes hardly filled with the energy they had been filled with when they first met him.

“Coulson, Mack, Bobbi, if you’re seeing this, that means Freya made it and got you all here,” Fitz told them. “You need to trust her. The fate of the universe depends on it. Make sure this future never happens. That this version of me never comes to exists. But this can only happen if you trust her.”

The screen faded and they all stared, shock on their faces.

“You know Fitz?” Bobbi finally found her voice, looking over at Freya.

“I don’t know your Fitz, but I know Fitz from my time,” Freya explained.

“And when exactly is that?” Mack asked wearily. 

“Twenty three years from now,” Freya said to their shock. 

“Okay, maybe you should start from the beginning,” Coulson said, feeling a migraine coming on.

Deep space  
Same time

Tony winced as Nebula managed to stitch up his would with the more advanced medical supplies of Enoch’s ship.

“Thanks,” Tony said before looking over at Fitz. “So, you’re with SHIELD? How’d you end up out here?”

“Complicated story but basically, I came to save my friends. Apparently, I did,” Fitz said as he glanced over at Fate.

“What’s his story?” Tony asked as he followed Fitz’s gaze.

“See that helmet? It allows him to see the future. Apparently, I’m going to save the universe,” Fitz said, his tone telling Tony how much that prospect thrilled him. “I think he’s got the wrong man for the job.”

“On the contrary Agent Fitz, there is no other man who can do what you can,” Fate said as he walked over. “I see your fate. You are the one we will need. You will understand when we return to earth.”

“When is that exactly?” Tony asked curiously.

“Several hours from now. Get some rest Anthony Stark. You will need it,” Fate said, confusing Tony.

Nevertheless, Tony decided to head Fate’s advice. Tony leaned back in his seat, giving himself his most comfortable position at the moment. He closed his eyes, allowing the humming of the ship to lull him to sleep.

Avengers Compound  
A little later

“Nice digs,” Frank said as Fury led him and Matt inside.

“Someone’s here,” Fury and Frank stopped as Matt spoke. “Two people, a man and a child. Down the hall.”

“Stay here,” Fury said, pulling a gun out of his pocket. “Let me check this out. If it’s a threat, I’ll call you. But I doubt it, given there’s a child here.”

Fury cautiously made his way down the hall, looking for the intruders. He rounded the corner, walking into the kitchen. He found a dark haired man and a young girl, most likely his daughter, sitting at a table, the girl eating a sandwich.

“Hey,” Scott said as he spotted Fury. “You must be Nick. Freya said you might show up here.”

“I know who you are Mr. Lang,” Fury said as he pocketed his gun. “But how do you know who I am? And who the h-”

“Language!” Scott shouted with a pointed look at Cassie.

“Heck is Freya,” Fury amended.

“I know what he was going to say,” Cassie said matter of factly and Scott scowled.

“It’s a long story. You might as well tell Castle and Murdock to come in and sit down. I don’t feel like telling this more than once,” Scott said as he looked over at Fury.

Quinjet, a few hours later

Barry sat next to Caitlin, it having been quiet after Caitlin had told him about Freya. His mind was whirling with the news that his daughter who only days ago he had held in his arms, rocking her to sleep, had come back in time as a young woman.

“Barry? Are you okay?” Caitlin asked, finally speaking up after Barry had remained quiet for a while.

“Yeah. It’s just…a lot to process. My daughter, here from the future. I just put her down for a nap a few days ago. It’s pretty surreal,” Barry said in disbelief.

“Hey, at least she didn’t call you Grandpa. Man did I feel old,” Clint said wistfully. 

“Well, you are getting up there,” Natasha teased and Clint rolled his eyes.

“Thanks a lot Nat,” Clint said sarcastically as he looked ahead. “Well Barry, you should prepare yourself, we’re here.”

Barry tensed as the Compound came into view. The hanger opened up and Clint landed the Quinjet. The ramp lowered and they all got off. Caitlin and Rocket, the only ones who hadn't been there before, looked around, impressed.

“Welcome to my home away from home,” Barry joked quietly and Catlin smiled. 

“Welcome home.”

Everyone started at the voice. They looked to see Fury standing at the edge of the hanger.

“Fury,” Steve greeted, relieved to see he hadn’t been lost in the snap.

“Rogers,” Fury greeted as he walked in, eying all of them. “It’s good to see you all made it.”

“Not all of us did,” Natasha said roughly and Fury nodded.

“No, not all of us did,” Fury agreed, thinking of Maria. “But we’re still here. We can still fight. And according to your friend, you know how to do that.”

“Friend?” Clint questioned.

“Hey,” everyone looked over to see Scott entering the hanger. “Glad you all made it.”

“Scott?” Barry said in disbelief.

“Hey guys,” Scott said.

“This guy a friend of yours?” Rocket questioned, eying Scott wearily.

“Yeah, he’s a friend,” Natasha quickly assured the trigger happy creature.

“Scott Lang, Antman,” Scott introduced himself.

“Good to see you Scott,” Steve said, relieved Scott hadn’t been lost. 

“You to Cap. So, I think we should compare notes,” Scott said.

Outside the compound, a car pulled up. It stopped and four people got out. Coulson looked at the Compound, knowing that his old friends were in there. And they might not be too happy to see him, knowing he had been alive all this time and hadn’t told them.

“You okay sir?” Mack asked as he, Freya and Bobbi noticed Coulson staring at the Compound.

“Yeah, just…a little overwhelmed. They probably won’t be too happy with me,” Coulson said, wincing.

“You sure you want to go in?” Bob inquired and Coulson nodded.

“I appreciate it Bobbi, but this is something I have to do. It’s time for me to face my past,” Coulson said, knowing he didn’t have much time left. “While I still can.”


	10. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers learn of a secret fury has been keeping from them and do not react well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains some spoilers for the first two seasons of Agents of SHIELD, so read at your own risk.

Avenger’s Compound  
Afternoon

“So, you were trapped in the Quantum Realm until my daughter got you out?” Barry said, his mind whiling as Scott and Fury led them inside.

“Yeah. She brought me and Cassie here and told us that you guys would be back soon. She also told us Fury would show up with Castle and Murdock,” Scott explained.

“Who?” Rocket asked.

“Frank Castle and Matt Murdock. A couple of new recruits I picked up,” Fury said and Barry perked up at the sound of his old ally’s name.

“Okay, I know Castle, but who’s Murdock?” Clint asked.

“Daredevil,” Scott supplied as they entered the kitchen. 

Barry, along with everyone else, stopped and stared at the sight that greeted them. Frank Castle, the mighty Punisher who struck fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere, was making something, some kind of desert, as Cassie assisted. Judging from the astonished look on Matt’s face, he could hardly believe it either. 

“And then we take it out in half an hour,” Frank said as he put it in the oven.

“Are you seeing this?” Barry whispered Clint quietly and Clint nodded.

“I guess he’s nothing like the Frank Castle we know,” Clint whispered back.

“Don’t be so sure,” Matt spoke up and they jumped, realizing he could hear them. “This is definitely new for him.”

“You can hear us?” Steve asked curiously.

“When I was a kid, I was in an accident and got a face full of toxic chemicals. It cost me my sight,” Matt said, gesturing to his eyes. “But on the bright side, my other senses were enhanced to superhuman levels.”

“Well, I see you’re all getting acquainted,” Freya said as she walked in and they stopped as they all looked at her, Barry especially being in awe.

“Freya?” Barry asked softly.

She looked towards him and her heart clenched at the sight of him. Seeing him like this, still full of hope, beaten down but not broken…it was better than anything she could have imagined.

“Hi dad,” Freya said softly.

Barry stared at her for a moment. She looked so much like Wanda, but he could see himself in her to.

“Hard to imagine you just put me down for a nap a few days ago, huh?” Freya asked with a weak smile.

“Yeah,” Barry said, for once at a loss for words.

“Well, as much as I’m enjoying this awkward silence, I brought some backup with me,” Freya said as she glanced behind her.

The first person to enter after Freya was a beautiful blond haired woman who looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties. Clint, Fury, and Natasha started, staring at her in a mix of shock and relief.

“Bobbi?” Clint breathed.

“Hey Clint,” Bobbi greeted and the former SHIELD agents were concerned by how lifeless she looked compared to her normal self.

“Bobbi, everyone. Everyone, this is Bobbi Morse. And this is Mack,” Freya said as Mack walked in.

“Hey. It’s an honor to meet you all, although I wish the circumstances were better,” Mack greeted politely.

“And I believe some of you know him,” Freya said, glancing back as Coulson walked in.

“Hey, everyone,” Coulson said awkwardly as the original Avengers and Rhodey all stared in shock.

“Phil?” Natasha breathed.

“Hey Nat,” Coulson greeted, still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Son of Coul!” Thor bellowed, racing across the room and picking him up in a bear hug. “I thought Loki had killed you!”

“Easy big guy,” Coulson groaned as Thor set him down.

“I don’t understand. How is this possible?” Steve asked shocked. “We thought you were dead.”

“Technically, I was,” Coulson said with a look over at Fury, something which everyone noticed.

“Something you wanna share Fury?” Rhodey asked.

“Project TAHITI,” Fury said simply and Clint narrowed his eyes.

“I thought that was just to modify memories,” Clint said lowly.

“That was just the cover,” Coulson said and they looked back at him. “The true purpose was to develop something capable of reviving a fallen Avenger.”

“And it did,” Fury said as he glanced over at Coulson.

“You’ve known the whole time he’s been alive and you never told us,” Natasha realized as anger began coursing through her.

“God Fury, are you incapable of being straight with us?” Steve asked angrily.

“You all needed the push. And there was reason we didn’t tell you the truth,” Fury started.

“Well I’d love to hear it,” Thor snarled.

“There was a reason project TAHITI was shut down,” Coulson said and they looked over at him. “We tested it on SHIELD agents prior to Fury using it on me. They all suffered mental breakdowns, starting carving alien writing into whatever surface they could find, insisting they ‘needed to know’. We had to erase their memories, give them new lives.”

“Phil started experiencing the same symptoms as the others, so we erased his memories of after Loki stabbed him in the heart. I wasn’t sure it would take since we only erased a small part of his memories,” Fury explained.

“Well, clearly Coulson is fine,” Rhodey pointed out.

“I wasn’t always. My symptoms came back with a vengeance for a while but I got better,” Coulson said.

“We had a right to know,” Natasha said gruffly.

“Both of you lied to us,” Clint snapped, looking from Fury and Coulson, both men feeling guilty at the look of betrayal in his eyes, as well as everyone else’s. “We trusted you and you lied to us! For years, you looked us in the eye Fury and said nothing! And you let him Phil.”

“You’re right, I did,” Coulson acknowledged. “I’m sorry everyone. I thought I was doing what was best, but I see now I was doing what was easy. But none of that matters now. Thanos is what matters; bringing everyone back is what matters. We need to put aside our differences and-”

Coulson suddenly stopped. He put a hand to his chest, looking like he was in pain.

“Coulson, you okay?” Steve asked as they all stared in concern.

“Get him to the med bay,” Mack ordered as Bobbi grabbed Coulson and began leading him away.

“What’s wrong with him Fury?” Clint demanded but Fury looked to be at a complete loss. 

“Fury doesn’t know,” Mack sighed as he turned to face them. “It’s a recent development.”

“What is a recent development?” Steve demanded and Mack ran a hand over his face, trying to find the words.

“Coulson is dying,” Mack said to the shock of everyone in the room. “And there’s nothing anyone can do to save him.”


	11. Caitlin's decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caitlin comes to a decision as Barry and Freya get to know each other. Fury deals with the fallout of keeping Coulson's survival a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is really just a transition chapter, but next chapter will really pick up the pace a bit compared to the last several chapters.

Avengers Compound  
Afternoon

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Fury said, trying to wrap his mind around it. “This Skull Rider-”

“Ghost Rider,” Mack corrected.

“Burned the GH.325 out of Coulson’s body when it temporarily merged with him?” Fury continued as if Mack hadn’t interrupted him.

“That about covers it sir,” Mack nodded.

“Well I’ve heard some crazy sh-stuff,” Frank said, glancing over at Cassie. “But never something like this.”

“This GH.325, it’s what was keeping Coulson alive all this time?” Bruce asked and Mack nodded.

“How long does he have?” Natasha asked lowly.

“Days. Weeks if he’s lucky,” Mack said grimly to the shock of everyone.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Steve asked but Mack shook his head sadly.

“We tried everything. We had a way to save him, but we had to use it to stop Glenn Talbot from tearing the earth apart,” Mack sighed. “There is no miracle cure here and he’s not looking for one. Coulson, he’s made his peace with dying. It took a while, but we have as well.”

In the med-bay, Bobbi was checking over Coulson.

“Your heart can’t take a lot of stress, that’s all. You need to take it easy,” Bobbi advised him.

“I’m afraid I don’t have the option,” Coulson chuckled dryly. “I am glad that, despite the circumstances, I got to see you one more time.”

“I just wish the others were here to,” Bobbi said quietly and Coulson smiled softly.

“Me to. Bobbi, we’re gonna get Hunter back. We’re gonna get them all back,” Coulson promised and Bobbi stared at him incredulously.

“Sir, we’ve lost half our team and you’re standing on your last leg. How can you possibly think we’ll win?” Bobbi asked incredulously.

“Call it a dying man’s optimism. Simmons said something to me before all this,” Coulson said and Bobbi raised an eyebrow. ‘Your team always worked the problem, no matter what the odds’. I have to have faith that we’ll bring them all back. You’re not alone Bobbi. You’re a part of something bigger. You’re not just an Agent of SHIELD anymore. You’re an Avenger to.”

Barry walked into his old room, looking around. It hadn’t changed at all in the two years since he’d left during the argument about The Accords. Barry walked over and picked up a picture of him and Wanda on their first date. Caitlin lingered in the doorway before walking in. Looking over his shoulder, she put a hand on his shoulder.

“We’re gonna get them back Barry,” Caitlin promised and Barry let out a shuttering breath as he put the photo down.

“I know. Because I’m not sure what I’m gonna do if we don’t,” Barry said and it was quiet in the room for a moment.

“So this was your room while you lived here?” Caitlin asked as she looked around, dropping her hand from his shoulder.

“Yeah, apparently Tony had the staff keep all our rooms clean. I guess he was hoping one day we’d come back,” Barry said before looking over at her, a slight smirk on his face. “So. You and Steve?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Caitlin blushed but Barry only raised an eyebrow. “Is it that obvious?”

“Only to someone who knows you both as well as I do,” Barry said and Caitlin sighed.

“I went to his room in Wakanda, he seemed so…defeated. We ended up talking and…” Caitlin trailed off but Barry didn’t need to hear more. “Honestly, it’s taken me until now to get to a point where I’m…okay without him. Now-”

“Seeing him brought it all back,” Barry said knowingly and Caitlin nodded. “You’ve given me a lot of helpful advice over the years. Can I give you some?”

“Sure,” Caitlin said confused.

“When-not if, when-we bring everyone back and stop Thanos….I think you should stay here. With Steve,” Barry said and Caitlin stared at him in shock.

“What?” Caitlin asked once she found her voice.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d miss you like crazy, we all would. But I’ve been without Wanda for a few days and I can’t imagine a worse kind of pain,” Barry said with a grimace and Caitlin’s eyes softened. “And I know it’s not the same thing, but I realize you’ve been going through the same thing since Steve left.”

“Barry, I’ll be okay,” Caitlin assured him.

“Will you really? You just said it took you until now to get to a point where you were okay without him,” Barry reminded her and Caitlin winced. “Cait…I love you, but you never put yourself first. I think you should start. You’ve always lived your life for everyone but you. For once in your life Cait, think of yourself and what you want.”

Barry then walked out, leaving Caitlin alone with her thoughts. 

Natasha was in the kitchen, going through the cabinets when Clint walked in.

“What are you doing?” Clint asked confused.

“Looking for something, provided Tony didn’t already use it…here it is,” Natasha said, pulling out a bottle of Russian Vodka. 

“You sure drinking right now is a good idea?” Clint asked wearily.

“Probably not, but I really need a drink. You want one?” she asked as she put the bottle down on the table and Clint shrugged.

“Sure, why not?” Clint said. 

Natasha pulled out tow glassed, opening the bottle and pouring two glasses. She slid one over to Clint and picked up her own.

“To Wanda and Barnes,” Clint raised his glass.

“To Wanda and Bucky,” Natasha toasted before she drowned her glass.

Clint drank his glass as well, humming in approval.

“That’s good liquor,” Clint said as he put the glass down. “Nat…how are you doing?”

“What, that the love of my life and half our friends disappeared? That Fury and Coulson have been lying to use for six years? Or that Coulson is dying, for real this time?” Natasha asked bluntly.

“All of it,” Clint said calmly.

“I don’t know. How can you be okay after all this?” Natasha said with a shuttering breath.

“I’m not. But I’m saving all my rage for Thanos,” Clint said grimly. “Son of a bitch is gonna pay for what he’s done.”

“That we can agree on,” Fury said as he walked in and his former agent tensed. 

“What do you want Fury?” Clint asked lowly.

“To talk,” Fury said simply. “I know you two are upset with me, but we need to-”

“We? There is no we Fury,” Clint sneered as he whirled on Fury. “We will work with you to stop Thanos, but after that, we’re done Fury.”

Clint turned to leave then paused before he whirled around. Fury’s head whirled to the side as Clint decked him before the archer stormed out of the room.

“I suppose that goes for you to?” Fury asked, fingering his jaw as he looked over at Natasha.

“You know, when you didn’t tell me you faked your death during the Hydra uprising, I figured I’d cut you some slack because you weren’t sure who to trust,” Natasha mentioned and Fury internally winced. “But the truth is you don’t trust anyone. Maybe that’s because of whatever happened when you lost your eye, or maybe it’s because you’re just a paranoid son of a bitch. Either way, I don’t care. The Red Room lied to me, manipulated me, made me into their weapon. And you did the same thing, made me into what you needed me to be. No more. I am not your weapon Fury and I will never be again. Once this is over, we’re done.”

Natasha walked out after Clint, leaving Fury staring after them sadly.

In Wanda’s room, Freya was looking around. Seeing a picture of Wanda and Clint, Freya picked it up, staring at it for a moment before she heard someone enter the room. She put it down, looking over at Barry.

“Hey,” Freya said.

“Can we not do the awkward small talk?” Barry asked and Freya laughed.

“Sorry, I just knew this was a lot to take in,” Freya apologized.

“It was,” Barry agreed as he sat down on Wanda’s bed, patting the spot next to him. “Now I just want to talk.”

Freya nodded, sitting down next to him.

“What do you want to know?” Freya asked.

“I want to know everything. What’s your favorite color? What do you do? Do you have friends? Are you happy?” Barry rambled and Freya just laughed.

“Slow down dad. In order, red. I’ve really just been preparing for this. I guess you could call me an Avenger. Yeah, I’ve got friends. As for that last one, I’ll be a lot happier once we undo this,” Freya said and it was quiet for a moment.

“We don’t win from where you come, do we?” Barry asked and she looked over at him. “That’s why you came back.”

“No, you don’t,” Freya said gently and Barry closed his eyes, knowing it was coming but it was still a big blow. “Things have to go a certain way in order for us to win. I’m trying to make sure that happens.”

“Coulson,” Barry said after a moment. “He’s dying.”

“And you’re wondering why I brought him here if it’s impossible to save him,” Freya said knowingly and he nodded. “Before he dies, Coulson has to do something. Something only he can do. If he doesn’t do it, then all this has been for nothing.”

“What does he have to do?” Barry asked curiously and she shrugged.

“I don’t know, I just know he has to do it,” Freya said and she said in a way that Wanda often would when something annoyed her, causing Barry to smile.

“But this person you’re working with does?” Barry asked and Freya nodded. “Who are they?”

“You’ll meet him soon enough,” Freya said vaguely and Barry just shook his head in exasperation.

“Well, in the meantime, I’d like to get to know you,” Barry said and she smiled.

In Steve room, Steve was coming out of the bathroom, having finally shaved his beard. Steve wiped his face with a towel and tossed it in the hamper as there was a knock on the door to his room.

“Come in,” Steve called out and the door opened.

“I see you shaved,” Caitlin noted as she saw him. “Too bad, I liked the beard look.”

“Now you tell me,” Steve joked lightly before looking at her with a look that made Caitlin’s heart flutter. “Is everything okay?”

Caitlin signed, shutting the door and Steve raised an eyebrow.

“For over a year, I’ve been trying to move on. It hasn’t been working,” Caitlin said and Steve raised an eyebrow, wondering where she was going with this. “And maybe I don’t want to.”

“Cait, what are you saying?” Steve asked and Natasha sighed.

“I love you and I know you love me to, or at least you did,” Caitlin started.

“I still do,” Steve assured her and the knot that was in her stomach loosened. 

“Okay, good. Then…Barry said something to me earlier and I think he’s right. I can’t do this anymore Steve. I can’t…live my life apart from you anymore. When this is over, I’m gonna stay here with you,” Caitlin said to Steve’s shock.

“Caitlin, I can’t ask you to give up your entire life for me,” Steve said immediately.

“You’re not, it’s my choice. I’m choosing to stay here with you because I love you,” Caitlin said.

“Cait, I’m technically still a fugitive,” Steve protested halfheartedly. “The UN could still try and come after me once this is resolved.”

“Then we’ll run together,” Caitlin said, walking over and wrapping her arms around Steve’s neck. “Wherever you run, I’ll run with you. This is a choice I’m making for myself Steve. Because I love you and you love me. Does the rest really matter?”

For a moment, Steve was silent. Probably processing what she had dumped on him, Caitlin mused. Then, he leaned down and Caitlin closed her eyes as their lips met. It was a kiss that was full of promise of what would come. For, while they still had to deal with Thanos, they now knew they had something to live for when it was all over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not trying to bash Fury, but I can’t see Clint and Natasha wanting anything to do with him at the moment with the Coulson secret on top of everything else. 
> 
> Not particularly proud of the Steve/Caitlin scene, so hope I did okay.


	12. Return to earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Fitz return to earth. Reuniting with their friends, they start to plan a comeback.

Space, orbiting earth

The ship came out of the vortex, seeing Earth in the distance. On the bridge, Enoch glanced over at Nebula.

“I think you should wake our human passengers. We have arrived,” Enoch said as Nebula saw Earth for the first time.

“It’s smaller than I imagined,” Nebula mentioned before she turned and walked off in order to wake Tony and Fitz.

Avengers Compound  
Not long after

In Steve’s room, he and Caitlin lay in bed, dressed only in sheets as they bathed in the afterglow. 

“I never thought I’d have this again,” Steve mentioned and she looked up at him curiously. “That I’d be able to hold you in my arms again. That once again, I’d fallen in love with someone I could never be with.”

“Hey, look at me,” Caitlin said, moving his head towards her so he looked her in the eye. “I’m not Peggy Carter. I will fight for us, for you, because I’m not going anywhere.”

They leaned in for another kiss when, suddenly, the door opened. They jumped against, Caitlin trying to cover herself as Bay turned around once he saw them.

“Why didn’t you lock the door or something?!” Barry asked, all of them completely mortified.

“Because it’s my room. Is there something you wanted Barry?” Steve asked uncomfortably.

“Freya wants us to head outside, says it’s Important. So…see you out there,” Barry said awkwardly before closing the door behind him.

“I’m going to kill him,” Caitlin growled, a little of Killer Frost breaking through as her eyes flashed.

A little later, after getting dressed, Steve and Caitlin joined the others on the Compound’s front lawn. They stared up in the sky as a ship, unlike anything any of them had ever seen, descended from the sky. 

“It’s okay, it’s a friendly,” Freya quickly assured them before they could do anything drastic. 

Frank and Fury had their hands on their pistols and Thor had Storm Breaker at the ready, just in case. The ramp lowered and they all breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Tony Stark walking down the ramp.

“Tony,” Steve said as he walked over. 

“Cap,” Tony said without his usual bravo. “I couldn’t stop him.”

“Neither could I,” Steve said solemnly. 

“I lost the kid,” Tony said with a pained look in his eyes.

“We lost Tony,’ Steve emphasized. 

“Not yet we haven’t,” Coulson said as he walked over and Tony stared in shock, sure he was seeing ghosts. “It’s good to see you Tony.”

“Phil?” Tony looked at Steve for confirmation and Steve nodded. “How…”

“About that,” Coulson grimaced, knowing this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. 

Fitz had barely gotten off the ship when he suddenly found himself engulfed in a bone crushing hug.

“Mack,” Fitz breathed and Mack let him go.

“Sorry. It’s just…it’s good to see you Turbo,” Mack said emotionally, remembering the other Fitz’s death.

“Let him breath Mack,” Bobbi said as she walked over and Fitz looked over at her.

“Bobbi,” Fitz breathed, exchanging a hug with his old friend. “Hunter…”

The only answer was the dull look in Bobbi’s eyes as she pulled back. Fitz looked away, his face contorted in pain. 

A little later, they all stood in the Compound as they held a meeting.

“It’s been roughly thirty four, hours since the snap. Governments are in disarray,” Steve said grimly.

“Those that aren’t have been trying to find survivors there attempts have helped us reach one conclusion: Thanos did exactly what he said he was gonna do,” Natasha said as pictures of their fallen allies started appearing. “Half of all living creatures in the universe have been wiped out.” 

Barry and Caitlin looked away as they saw Cisco and Wanda’s pictures while Clint only clenched his fists tightly. Coulson stared sadly at Daisy’s picture while Fitz, Bobbi, and Mack looked pained at Jemma, Hunter, and Elena’s pictures. Steve and Natasha stared stonily at Sam and Bucky’s while Tony swallowed the lump in his throat at Peter’s.

“Okay. So do you guys have a plan?” Tony asked.

“Find Thanos, use the stones to bring everyone back,” Clint said gruffly.

“That simple?” Tony asked incredulously.

“Mr. Stark is correct, it is not that simple,” Fate said and they all looked at him. 

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Rhodey demanded. 

“I am Doctor Fate. Master of the mystic arts, an agent of order,” Fate said.

“Oh, is that all?” Tony said sarcastically.

“He’s the person you’ve been working with?” Barry asked Freya and she nodded.

“Just hear him out, please,” Freya begged.

“From the moment the Time Stone landed on Titan, it became impossible to prevent Thanos from achieving his goal,” Fate said and Tony winced. “There are over fourteen million possible futures from this point on. Only one in which we emerge victorious.”

“When we met, you said I was going to be the one to save us all,” Fitz remembered and Fate nodded.

“Because you will. There is a task you need to accomplish Agent Fitz. Without you, we are all lost,” Fate said grimly and it was silent in the room as everyone felt the weight of his words hit them.

“No pressure right?” Barry joked and Fitz shot him a glare.

“What does Fitz need to do?” Bobbi inquired.

Fate glanced over at Freya and nodded. As everyone watched, Freya pulled out a device that looked like a floppy disk with a button in the center. She pressed it and everyone stared as a holographic version of Thanos’ gauntlet appeared above it.

“Is that Thanos’ Gauntlet?” Barry inquired.

“No. It’s similar but…different,” Tony said as he noticed the differences.

“It is an improved and modified version,” Fate explained.

“Fitz, we need you to make it,” Freya said to the shock of everyone in the room.

Earth-1, Barton house  
Same time

Once all three of her kids, plus Freya, were down for the night, Laura Barton walked into her kitchen ,exhausted. She loved her kids and sort of grandchild, but she was just one woman. Laura hoped that Clint and Barry returned home soon, along with Wanda.

Suddenly, her hair stood on end. Laura grabbed a knife from the knife rack and whirled around. However, before she could blink, the knife was out of her hand and against her throat.

“I see what Mr. Barton sees in you. You’re a fighter, just like him,” Thawne noted. 

“HR?” Laura breathed, shocked and Thawne smirked.

“No. We have never been introduced. I am Eobard Thawne,” Thawne said and Laura stilled.

“You’re the man who killed Barry’s mother,” Laura said, the parallels not lost on her. “Are you going to kill me?”

“No,” Thawne said as he lowered the knife to his side. “Not yet. You and your family have become a message I’m going to send to Barry and your husband. But when I’m done, you’ll wish you’d never met Barry Allen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not quite moving the plot along as I would have liked, but it’s getting there for what happens next.
> 
> The reason for why they need Fitz to make another gauntlet will be revealed.


	13. Coulson's final act

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freya and Fate explain about the future and why the gauntlet is needed. Fitz, doubting himself, is given some last advice by Coulson.

Avengers Compound  
Night

“Why the hell would you want to make another?!” Thor exploded once he had gotten over his shock.

“Because the stones are the only way to bring everyone back,” Freya explained.

“Yeah, we know that already,” Rhodey said.

“What you do not know is that, when Thanos wiped out half of all life in the universe, the energy of the stones was almost too much for the gauntlet to bear,” Fate said and they all looked over at him. “The gauntlet was damaged. One more use of the stones would surely destroy it.”

“And that’s bad…because?” Tony deadpanned.

“It’s bad because it would cause an explosion that would not only destroy the stones, but kill the person using them and take out everyone and everything within a one mile radius,” Freya said grimly.

“Yeah, let’s try and avoid that,” Coulson said after a moment.

“I’m guessing you know this from experience?” Steve asked and Freya winced.

“I wasn’t there; I was only a few years older than I am in this time. But we figured out that we could create our own gauntlet, we didn’t have to steal his. Just the stones. The Fitz from my time was designing a new gauntlet but he needed something to stabilize it. A unique material to make sure it could focus the energy of the stones better than the first gauntlet. Luckily, Wakanda was full of what he needed,” Freya explained and everyone understood then.

“Vibranium,” Barry said and his daughter nodded. 

“Unfortunately, Thanos caught wind of our plan. He showed up in Wakanda, there was a fight. He used the stones to destroy all Vibranium in the universe. The resulting explosion killed Steve, Natasha, Caitlin, and Tony, as well as mortally wounded Thor,” Freya said to their horror. “With no Vibranium and no stones, nothing more could be done. And the second snap also destroyed the Inter-Dimensional Extrapolators. I guess they were similar enough to Vibranium that the stones couldn’t tell the difference. No Cisco and no extrapolator stranded dad and me here.”

“God, I think I’m gonna throw up,” Caitlin said, putting a hand to her mouth. 

“Shit, this is a God damn nightmare,” Frank muttered.

“For you it’s a nightmare, for me it’s my life,” Freya said grimly. “Which is why we need this gauntlet. And you’re the only one who can make it Fitz.”

“And you’ve got the wrong man,” Fitz insisted. “You’ve got Tony Stark, he can make it.”

“It has to be you. No one else is capable of creating this gauntlet,” Fate shot back.

“You’re wrong!” Fitz shouted making those who knew him look at him in surprise. “Whatever it is you’re seeing, it’s wrong. Everything I make…destroys. Find someone else.”

Fitz then turned and walked out, leaving Mack and Coulson staring after him sadly while Bobbi was confused.

“What does he mean everything he touches destroys? What did I miss?” Bobbi asked confused.

“The Framework,” Mack said grimly and Coulson sighed.

“Holden Radcliffe, a scientist, created a virtual reality where one regret was removed for each of us. Fitz was a very…different person there,” Coulson explained.

“How different?” Bobbi asked wearily.

“He was the head of Hydra,” Mack said to the shock of everyone. “He killed, he tortured, he was ruthless. Fitz...he’s had a hard time coming to terms with that.”

“Well he needs to,” Freya said firmly but kindly. “He’s the only one capable of making the gauntlet. Without him, we’ll lose.”

“Let me talk to him,” Coulson volunteered. “I know a bit about what he’s going through right now.”

As Coulson walked out after Fitz, Freya glanced over at Fate. At his subtle nod, she smiled. This was it. This was what Coulson was meant to do before he died.

“So, you can really see the future?” Bruce asked as he looked over at Fate.

“I see all your fates. Doctor Banner. You will resolve the conflict within between yourself and the beast,” Fate said before turning to look at Matt. “Mathew Murdock. You will soon find what makes you whole again.”

While Bruce looked hopeful and Matt looked puzzled, Fate turned to Barry.

“Barry Allen. The Flash. As Captain Rogers leads this earth’s heroes, you will lead the heroes of your own. And although Eobard Thawne is your greatest enemy, you will triumph over him,” Fate said, causing both Barry and Caitlin to start.

“Thawne? Thawne’s dead,” Barry said shocked.

“Isn’t he?” Caitlin asked uncertainly but Fate did not answer. 

West House, Earth-1  
Not long after

Joe West was in his living room, going over the last report of a case he was working on. Wally had gone to bed and he was just finishing up his report. He was broken out of his thoughts when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw Laura’s face flash across the screen.

“Laura, everything okay?” Joe asked as he answered.

“No Joe, I’m afraid things are very face from alright,” a familiar voice that was definitely not Laura said and Joe sat up straighter in his seat.

“Harry?” Joe questioned and ‘Harry’ chuckled in a way that sent chills down Joe’s spine.

“Guess again,” Thawne said mockingly and Joe’s blood ran cold.

“Thawne,” Joe breathed. “But how? You died.”

“Death is but an illusion Detective,” Thawne mocked.

“Where’s Laura? I swear to god if you’ve hurt her or the kids-” Joe started angrily.

“You’ll do what Detective?” Thawne asked mockingly. “We both know you can’t stop me. And with Barry off world, we both know your son can’t stop me. And if he tries, well, you wouldn’t want anything to happen to the Bartons or your granddaughter, would you?”

“What do you want from me?” Joe asked lowly after a moment and Thawne chuckled.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

Avengers Compound, Earth-66  
Same time

Coulson found Fitz in the lounge. He was sitting in a chair, staring down at a chessboard, deep in thought.

“Must be a pretty interesting chessboard,” Coulson said as he sat down in a chair across from Fitz, breaking the engineer out of his thoughts.

“I can’t do it sir,” Fitz said softly. “Everything I make…it causes chaos and destruction.”

“We both know that’s not true Fitz. How many missions were a success because you were there, because you had invented something, because you knew exactly what to do at exactly the right time?” Coulson challenged. 

“It’s different now sir. What I was in The Framework…that came from inside of me. They’re looking for the wrong man,” Fitz said in self-loathing.

“I said the same thing once when Fury handed me his Toolbox,” Coulson said and Fitz looked up at him. “I thought there was no way that I could lead SHIELD, that I could be Director.”

“That’s different and you know it. I’m a bad person sir, I know I am,” Fitz sighed.

“No, you’re not,” Coulson got to his feet and walked over to Fitz. “Listen to me for a minute. What you did in The Framework was what AIDA made you, what she and your father turned you into. We’ve all got light and darkness inside us; no one is pure good and pure bad. What matters is the part we choose to act on.”

“What if we don’t know the part we’re acting on? What if we think we’re acting on the good part but we’re really acting on the bad?” Fitz asked lowly and Coulson was silent for a moment.

“I’m not a parent,” Coulson said and Fitz raised an eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this. “But…once we formed the team, once we all came together on the bus, I got a feeling about what that would have been like.”

“We all know how you feel about Daisy sir,” Fitz said, wondering why he was bringing this up now.

“I wasn’t talking about Daisy,” Coulson said, taking Fitz back. “Just as I found myself unexpectedly with a daughter, I also found myself unexpectedly with a son. He was more brilliant than I’d ever imagined. Loyal to a fault. But what left me in complete awe of him was how good he was. I’d never known anyone so selfless and caring. Who put the needs of others ahead of his own without hesitation and who would protect his friends, no matter the personal cost to himself. He was beyond anything I could have ever imagined.”

“Sir…” Fitz trailed off, not sure what to say.

“You’ve spent almost every moment of every day since I met you trying to help others. You’re not only one of the smartest people I’ve met, but one of the best. Because you’re the best of us Fitz. And I have no doubt that you will be the one to make that gauntlet. You-”

Coulson suddenly stopped, clutching at his chest, appearing in pain. Fitz stood up and managed to catch Coulson as he fell.

“Sir, sir?!” Fitz called panicked.

“Fitz…you’re good,” Coulson whispered before he seemed to pass out.

“Somebody help!” Fitz shouted in a panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing that bugs me about the gauntlet in Endgame is * Endgame spoilers* It is shown to be perfectly fine after using the stones and it apparently nearly kills Thanos and Hulk to use it and does kill Tony to use. *End spoilers* But in Infinity War, the gauntlet is shown to be fried and damaged after use and Thanos, aside from the axe sticking out of his chest, is shown to be fine. Bit of a plot hole there.
> 
> Yes, what Coulson was meant to do was have this conversation with Fitz. It might seem unimpressive, but as I said, it’s symbolic of this season of Agents of SHIELD. I know a lot of people are upset that Coulson is gone, but I think he had a good run and the writers obviously felt it was time for Coulson to move on and pass the torch. Coulson’s legacy lives on in the show by SHIELD carrying on his mission to protect the earth. And that is what this is supposed to symbolize, that Coulson’s legacy lives on in people like Fitz ad Mack.


	14. Last words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Coulson's life fades, he makes peace with those he wronged and gives some last advice to the people he cares about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is going to be my last update for a while. I’m not giving up on this story, as I have zero intention to abandon it. But we’re getting to the part of the story where I’m going to incorporate elements of Endgame beyond a few scenes. And since Marvel, in another questionable decision, has decided to re-release the movie in theaters rather than release it on DVD, it looks like it won’t be available for a while. So, until it is, I hope you guys enjoy this.

Avengers Compound  
Night

“I don’t have long, do I?” Coulson asked weakly as he lay in bed in the med bay, Bobbi trying to make him comfortable.

“You already know the answer to that,” Bobbi said softly and Coulson chuckled weakly.

“I do,” Coulson agreed before looking over at her. “When you see him again - and you will see him again - tell Hunter I’ll be waiting on the other side with a beer.”

“So suddenly you’re religious?” Bobbi asked dryly and Coulson smiled.

“I don’t know about that. But at the end of the world, at the end of my life, I’m surrounded by friends and family I thought I’d never see again. At the end, I get to say goodbye, make peace with people I wronged. Maybe it’s a dying man’s optimism, but I can’t help but feel that there’s some grand design to it all,” Coulson said wistfully.

“It’s been an honor sir,” Bobbi said after a moment of silence and Coulson smiled at her.

“No Bobbi, the honor was mine,” Coulson told her genuinely. 

Bobbi simply smiled tightly, unable to speak. After a moment, she left the med bay, closing the door behind her. She breathed deeply before she turned to face several pairs of eyes looking at her anxiously.

“He has an hour at most. If you want to say goodbye, now’s your chance,” Bobbi said gently.

This was obviously a big blow to everyone who had known Coulson. Mack looked to be on the verge of tears as Fitz put his head in his hands. Steve and Thor both had solemn looks on their faces as Clint, Natasha, Tony, and Fury all had emotionless masks on theirs, hiding their true emotions.

Bobbi took a shaky breath before she walked passed them and out of the room. Mack looked over his shoulder, concern for his old friend shining in his eyes before he followed after Bobbi.

Coulson was still in bed, closing his eyes as he attempted to have some peace when he heard someone walk in. Opening his eyes, Coulson saw Fury standing in the doorway.

“We’ve been here before. Haven’t we sir?” Coulson asked and Fury simply nodded.

“That we have,” Fury agreed as he walked over to Coulson’s bedside. “I never thought it would end like this though.”

“Neither did I,” Coulson said with a weak chuckle before grimacing as pain shot through him. “No laughter, got it.”

“You know, when I recruited you, I knew I’d found a rare gem. But I never could have imagined where it would lead,” Fury said wistfully.

“Getting sentimental on me? Wow, I must be dying,” Coulson joked and Fury nearly grimaced as Coulson looked over at him. “Fury, you need to make things right with them.”

“I did what I had to do,” Fury said stubbornly.

“Maybe, but you manipulated them, lied to them. I know you had good intentions, but you also tend to ignore how your actions affect other people. They have every right to be angry at you, at us. You wanna win this thing, you need to fix the broken trust that you created,” Coulson told him.

Mack found Bobbi staring out a huge window, overlooking the front lawn of The Compound. 

“You okay?” Mack asked gently as he walked over to her.

“How can I be? I watched the love of my life disappear right in front of me. I thought nothing could hurt me anymore after that. I was wrong,” Bobbi said with a shaky breath. 

“I knew the feeling,” Mack said and she looked over at him. “You remember Elena Rodriguez?” 

“Mack, I’m so sorry,” Bobbi said, putting a hand on his arm.

“Me to,” Mack said, taking her hand in his. “But we’ll get them back. We have to.”

“How are you so sure of that?” Bobbi asked incredulously.

“Because if I give up, then what’s worth living for? Maybe we’re fighting a losing battle…but I’ve got to try. Without hope, what’s the point of living?” Mack said thickly and Bobbi frowned, considering his words.

In the med bay, Coulson and Fury looked up as Tony entered the med bay.

“I’ll give you two a moment,” Fury said before he walked passed Tony and out of the med bay. 

“So he can take a hint. Who knew?” Tony said as he walked over to Coulson’s bedside.

“Good to see you Tony. I was sorry to hear about Pepper,” Coulson said and Tony winced.

“Yeah. She liked you, she would’ve been happy to know you were alive,” Tony said and Coulson winced. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you Tony. I wanted to but there always seemed to be a reason not to. I guess I was just too much of a coward,” Coulson said regretfully. 

“Well, can’t really hold a grudge against a dying man, can I?” Tony tried to lighten the mood but it only drove home the grim reality of the situation.

“Tony…you’re a good man, but you let your ego overrule what you think is right sometimes. If you’re gonna stop Thanos, you can’t do that,” Coulson said softly as he looked up at Tony. “You can’t go it alone this time Tony.”

In the kitchen, Barry, Caitlin, Bruce, Rhodey, Scott, Frank, Matt, and Rocket sat in the longue. All of them were quiet, none of them able to find a word to break the silence.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go see him Dr. Banner?” Barry asked as he looked over at Bruce, who shook his head.

“I never had more than a first meeting with him,” Bruce said and it was quiet for a moment.

“What did the guy in the helmet mean when he said you’d resolve the conflict between you and the beast?” Rocket inquired as he looked at Bruce, who sighed.

“I’m a scientist. Years ago, I was recruited on a military project. I was told I was trying to create a formula designed to cure radiation poisoning. But it was something much different,” Bruce signed. “I used Gamma radiation in the project but something went horribly wrong. Now, every time I get angry, I turn into this big raging monster. I’ve spent years trying to control it but Hulk is just too strong.”

“Maybe he’s not meant to be controlled,” Caitlin said and Bruce looked over at her incredulously. “I have a little experience in this area. I have another…personality I guess, Killer Frost. When she first showed up, I was scared that I’d lose control, that Killer Frost would erase me and she was afraid I’d erase her. But eventually, we both realized that we were a part of each other, two sides of the same person. Maybe the same can be true for you and Hulk.”

Bruce frowned, considering her words.

In the med bay, Coulson was looking at his Captain America trading cards.

“Finally signed them,” Coulson said before looking back at Steve. “I guess now my life is finally complete.”

“It’s the least I can do Agent Coulson,” Steve said politely.

“I think you can call me Phil,” Coulson said and Steve smiled tightly.

“Phil,” Steve corrected himself.

The door opened and Steve looked over his shoulder to see Clint and Natasha standing in the doorway.

“I’ll give you guys a minute,” Steve said, looking back and forth between them before he walked out, leaving them all alone.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all been together like this,” Coulson said after a moment. “I can’t even remember the last time.”

“New York,” Clint remembered. “We were all there when Cap was brought out of the ice.”

“That’s right,” Coulson remembered and it was quiet. “I owe you both an apology.”

“I think you owe us more than that,” Natasha said lowly and Coulson winced. 

“You’re right, I do,” Coulson agreed. “I should have told you the truth a long time ago. I should have let you know I was alive. That was my mistake, my choice. I’m sorry.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Clint asked curiously and Coulson sighed.

“At first, I was going through this life changing experience. Then, I was busy tracking down threats and enemies to SHIELD. Then the Hydra uprising happened and I became Director. Finally, I just admitted to myself that I was too much of a coward to face you guys after so long,” Coulson admitted. “I’m sorry. More than you’ve know.”

“I understand,” Natasha said after a few moments. “I don’t forgive you, but I understand.” 

“I suppose I deserve that,” Coulson nodded in understanding before looking over at Clint. “Clint? I know I have no right…but my team. Look out for them.”

“You have my word Phil,” Coulson said, his voice thick with emotion.

Coulson nodded and winced as he felt a pain in his chest. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of time left. He looked back up at them.

“Could you send in Mack and Fitz? I have a few things I still need to say,” Coulson said.

Silently, the pair nodded before they turned and walked out. They found the two SHIELD agents outside, waiting, as if they knew what Coulson would ask.

“He’s asking for you two,” Clint said, trying to keep his voice even.

Mack nodded, looking over at Fitz.

“Come on Turbo,” Mack said gently, gently placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Fitz nodded before he and Mack walked over to the med bay, entering the room. It was difficult for them to see Coulson so weak, at death’s door.

“Hey,” Coulson said weakly as they approached his bedside. “How are you both holding up?”

“I think we should be asking you that,” Mack said lowly and Coulson smiled weakly.

“I’m fine. I lived longer than I should have. I should’ve died when Loki stabbed my heart with his scepter. But I don’t regret these last few years. I got to meet the two of you, Daisy, Jemma, Bobbi, Hunter. Now it’s time for new blood. It’s time for a new director,” Coulson said as he looked at Mack pointedly.

“I’ll do my best sir,” Mack said, his voice gruff with emotion.

“I know. That’s why I know you’re the right man for the job,” Coulson said kindly. “They’re all gonna look to you when this is over. Tell May…”

“I’ll tell her sir,” Mack said when Coulson paused.

Coulson nodded gratefully before looking over at Fitz.

“Fitz, you are the best of us. I know you’re having a hard time with what happened in the Framework and part of you always will. Everyone has good and bad inside of them. You will always carry that darkness inside of you. The trick is not to face it alone. Let Simmons and the others help you through it,” Coulson stopped, wincing as pain shot through his chest.

“Sir?” Fitz asked worriedly, walking over and was startled as Coulson grabbed his hand.

“If I were your father…I would say...I couldn’t have asked…for a better…”

Coulson’s eyes, which had been drifting shut as he spoke, closed. His head tilted to the side as his grip went slack. And they knew he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not particularly proud of this chapter but I hope you guys enjoyed it.


	15. Make it matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone mourns Coulson's death as Thawne begins moving his plan into place. Freya makes a stunning confession.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m back and ready to continue this after a month and a half. Not my best chapter most likely but it is necessary to move the plot along. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Avengers Compound  
Morning

In the woods behind the Compound, Fury stood in front of a grave, a solemn look on his face as he read the words carved into the headstone.

Phillipe J Coulson

Agent of SHIELD 

An Avenger 

Fury stared at it for a moment before he turned around. Directly behind him, from left to right, were Tony, Thor, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bobbi, Mack, and Fitz. Further back, Barry, Freya, Caitlin, Bruce, Scott, Cassie, Matt, and Frank stood with Fate lingering behind them, not quite part of the group but not completely part of it either. Tony, Thor, Steve, Natasha and Clint all wore emotionless masks while Mack and Fitz had tear trails on their faces. Bobbi simply looked numb.

“I first met Phil Coulson when he was in college,” Fury said gruffly. “One of my agents had told me about an under grad looking into SHIELD for a paper. They thought he might have been a threat, suggested he be taken out. I made a different call, recruited him instead. One of the best decisions I ever made. Coulson was one of my finest agents, as well as a good friend. He looked for the best in people, but he also knew the world was full of evil, of people that needed to be stopped. He knew that the world may not want us, but it needed us. It’s why I chose him as director; it’s why I brought him back. Because he could inspire people in a way I never could. He was the best of us. Rest old friend, your fight is over.”

For a moment, silence washed over all of them, everyone’s emotions running high. Then, that silence was broken.

“Do we know if he had any family?” Steve asked softly.

“Yeah. He had us,” Mack said, his voice gruff with emotion. 

“What?” Thor asked roughly, walking over to Steve

“I just asked a question,” Steve said as he looked over at Thor.

“No, you’re acting like he’s really gone. Why are we acting like he’s gone? We get the stones from Thanos; we can bring him back with everyone else. We’re The Avengers, get it together Cap,” Thor snapped.

“We can’t,” Mack said and everyone looked at him. “That’s not what he wanted.”

“Who cares what he wanted, we can bring him back so let’s do it!” Thor snarled.

“You weren’t there!” Mack exploded and Thor was taken back as everyone looked at Mack in shock. “You weren’t there when he told us he was dying, you weren’t there when he told us over and over again that he had made peace with it and wasn’t looking for some magical resurrection! The man died seven years ago and got brought back; he’s had almost nothing but pain since then! Let him finally rest!”

For a moment, it was silent, the only sound Mack’s heavy breathing. 

“He died having faith in us, in all of us,” Clint said after a few moments, looking around at all of them. “He bet his final breath on us. We have to make it matter. Make his death matter.”

“We will,” Natasha said as she put a hand on his shoulder.

Fitz stared down at the grave for a minute before looking down at his hands. Finally, he turned and walked away from the others, causing them to look after him in confusion. Fitz walked over to Freya, stopping in front of her.

“What do you need me to do?”

West house, Earth-1  
Same time

Wally walked down the stairs and found something odd: His dad was usually up before him. But Joe was nowhere to be seen. And he’d left some papers on the table in the living room, which was very unusual.

“Dad?” Wally cried out in concern.

Warehouse   
Same time

Joe dropped a bag at Thawne’s feet, glaring at the madman hatefully.

“There, you have your tachyons,” Joe said furiously.

“First, let me check,” Thawne said before kneeling down and opening the bag, pulling out the spherical container. “Took you longer than I expected.”

“Yeah, well stealing from Star Labs isn’t as easy as it used to be,” Joe said angrily and Thawne nodded. “We had a deal. I get you the tachyons, you let Laura and the kids go.”

“You should know by now I can’t be trusted,” Thawne said with a smirk as he got to his feet.

Before Joe could do anything, Thawne had grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, knocking his head hard. Hearing something clatter to the floor, Thawne looked down to see it was Joe’s cell phone. Joe had activated the panic button.

“You should know by now I can’t be trusted,” Joe said mockingly before he passed out.

Wally had gotten the alert from Joe’s phone and quickly changed into uniform before speeding over. As Thawne dropped Joe to the floor, out cold, Wally could only stare as he sped in.

“Harry?” Wally asked and Thawne could only chuckle.

“Hello Wally,” Thawne said as he turned around to face him. “We have never been properly introduced. I am Eobard Thawne.”

“You’re the guy who killed Barry’s mom,” Wally realized, stiffening as Thawne smirked.

“That’s right Wally,” Thawne said with a smirk as he circled Wally.

“What do you want?” Wally demanded.

“The same thing I have always wanted: to make Barry Allen suffer. And you’re going to help me with that,” Thawne said lowly.

“Like hell!” Wally snarled, speeding towards Thawne.

Thawne then sped out of the warehouse they were in, Wally following right after him. They raced through town where, to Wally’s shock, a second Thawne appeared mid run. A time remnant, Wally realized. 

The second Thawne ran off as Thawne turned around to face him. Wally tried to punch him but Thawne was too fast, grabbing him and tossing him into the side of a building. Wally got up as the second Thawne returned. The three speedsters traded blows in a blur of movement far faster than the human eye could keep up with. Wally, due to his training under Barry and The Avengers, did okay at first, but facing two versions of Thawne was difficult to say the least. One Thawne landed a lucky blow before the other grabbed him and threw him into electrical equipment. Wally was then grabbed by one of the Thawnes and thrown as the other slugged him hard at high speed before slamming him onto the ground, hard. The dazed Wally stared up as the two Thanwes became one again.

“I told you Wally, you’re going to help me whether you like it or not, “Thawne told him before Wally lost consciousness. 

Avengers’ Compound, Earth-66  
Not long after

“We brought you all the material you need to make the gauntlet,” Freya said as she stood in the lab with Fitz, her father, Clint, Steve, Tony, and Mack, pulling out a bag and opening it, pouring machinery onto the table. “Almost.”

“Almost?” Tony noted.

“We still need Vibranium to stabilize the gauntlet so we don’t end up in a similar situation to Thanos. Of course, we’re dealing with the six most powerful objects in the multiverse, so there’s no guarantee. This is all based on theoretical data Fitz, the Fitz from my time, gathered for a year after you managed to bring him home and tell him what had happened,” Freya explained and it was silent in the lab for a minute.

“Would this work for the Vibranium?” Steve asked as he pulled out the shield he had received from T’Challa before the battle in Wakanda.

“That’s perfect,” Fitz said, taking it as he looked at it. “It’ll have to be broken down, but it’ll work. I think.”

“No, you’re right, it’s perfect,” Freya said with a smile, beginning to feel hope. “You can do this Fitz. I know you can.”

“You don’t even know me,” Fitz pointed out.

“I’ve known you practically my whole life,” Freya said simply. “You, dad, and Grandpa Clint all worked together for years on this. This was your plan. You can do this Fitz. I know you can.”

“She’s right Turbo. You got this,” Mack said, placing a hand on Fitz’s shoulder. 

“Okay,” Fitz breathed a shaky breath before putting the shield down on the table. “Show me the blueprints again.”

With a smile, Freya pulled out the floppy disk like device again and pressed the button, causing the blueprints to appear once more. Fitz took it from her, studying it with an intense look on his face.

“Okay, give me some time to work. I need to focus,” Fitz said as he put the blueprints on the table, beginning to move through the machinery.

Nodding, everyone began to move out of the room. As they did, Clint lingered in the doorway, looking back at Fitz.

“Phil saw something in you kid, he had a tendency to pick up on people’s potential. Looking through the old SHIELD database, I can see why he thought so highly of you. Make his death worth matter,” Clint said before he followed after the others.

“I will,” Fitz said softly before he got to work.

“Okay, so Fitz makes that gauntlet, we still need the stones,” Tony pointed out as they walked down the hall.

“In order to get the stones, we still need to find Thanos,” Steve pointed out,.

“Freya, do you know where Thanos is?” Barry asked his daughter.

“No,” Freya said, to their disappointment. “But luckily, there’s someone here who does.”

A little later, they stood in the briefing room, everyone staring at the person in question.

“Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me,” Nebula started slowly. “He talked while he worked. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. So I’d ask where we’d go once his grand plan was completed. His answer was always the same: to the garden.”

“Thanos has a retirement plan?” Scott asked incredulously.

“What’s the garden?” Barry asked as they all waited for Nebula’s answer.

“A planet far from earth, unhabituated. Thanos plans to live out the rest of his days there,” Nebula explained.

“Supervillain retirement. How cute,” Frank muttered.

“Fate can get us there through a portal,” Freya said as she gestured over to the man in the helmet, who had been silent this entire time.

“Wait, you can make portals? So then why did we waste time by coming back here in a space ship?” Tony asked angrily.

“Because I must use my abilities sparingly,” Fate said simply. “You see, the helmet which gives me my powers also acts as a double edged sword. I have used it for so long that each time I remove it takes a toll on my body, depending on how much of my powers I use. The next time I remove the helmet will surely kill me.”

“Well, you’re a downer aren’t you?” Clint asked dryly.

“If I use too much of my powers, it will kill me before I remove the helmet,” Fate explained and Freya winced. “But I will take you to where Thanos is. You have my word.”

“Thank you, we appreciate your sacrifice,” Steve said gratefully and Fate nodded at him.

“Um, guys? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we’d be going in shorthanded,” Bruce pointed out.

“Yeah, because he killed all our friends,” Rhodey said gruffly.

“Even if there’s only a small chance we can undo this, we owe it to everyone not in this room to try,” Natasha insisted.

“And how would that end any differently than last time?” Bruce asked incredulously.

“Because this time we’re together,” Tony said with a look over at Steve, who nodded.

“Together,” Steve repeated.

“Before you make further plans, there is something you must know,” Fate said and everyone looked over at him. “We must split into two groups. One will go with me to get the stones while the other will go to Earth-1.”

“Earth-1?” Matt asked confused before they heard Freya let out a strangled gasp.

Everyone looked at her and were shocked to see she had turned several shades of pale. She stared at Fate with a look of complete horror on her face.

“It’s today?” she asked weakly and he nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me!?”

“I assumed that you had known,” Fate admitted.

“I wasn’t even two when it happened and no one ever talked about it growing up! How could I have known it was today?!” Freya exclaimed angrily.

“Hey, Freya calm down,” Barry walked over to his daughter and put his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm. “What’s today? What’s got you so freaked out?”

Freya took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She knew this wasn’t going to be easy for him to hear, but he needed to know.

“Thanos, he’s not working alone. He’s working with Thawne dad,” Freya said.

Shocked, Barry’s arms lowered to his sides as he and Caitlin both stared at her in shock.

“Thawne? He’s working with Thawne?” Barry chocked out and she nodded.

“Yeah. I know I should have told you before and I’m sorry,” Freya apologized. 

“That’s why you told me about Thawne, because he’s still alive,” Barry said as he whirled on Fate. “How?”

“When you created Flashpoint, a Time Remnant of Thawne was created. This Remnant has been able to survive by harnessing the power of The Negative Speed Force,” Fate explained.

“Negative Speed force?” Barry repeated.

“I guess he really is the reverse of you in every way Barry,” Caitlin said sadly as she looked over at him.

“What’s today?” Clint asked as he looked over at Freya. “What happens today? What’s going on Earth-1?”

As everyone looked to her, Freya tried to compose herself. She knew they weren’t going to react well and she couldn’t blame them. She wished she’d known what day it was, but now, all she could do was tell them the truth.

“Today’s the day that Thawne kills Grandma Laura, your kids, Papa Joe and Wally.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but how could I not leave it there?


	16. In the endgame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone reels from the revelation about Thawne as they prepare to take on Thanos and Thawne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, most definitely not my best chapter. More filler than anything if I’m honest, but needed to get the plot moving. Next chapter will be better, promise.

Avengers Compound  
Afternoon

For a moment, it was dead silent in the room as everyone stared at Freya in shock, the weight of her words hitting them all like a ton of bricks.

“W-what?” Clint asked, hoping he had misheard.

“On this day, Eobard Thawne destroyed our family,” Freya said sadly with a sigh. “I don’t know a whole lot about what happened; I didn’t even know it was today. No one ever talked about it when I was growing up and I learned not to ask. But I know that Thawne killed them all.”

“Why? What did my family do to him?!” Clint exploded as he stalked over but Barry stopped him.

“That’s enough Clint,” Steve said as Natasha pulled him back.

“Hey, I know how you feel, okay? But you losing it won’t help anyone,” Natasha snapped at him and Clint took a breath, calming himself after allowing his emotions to get control of him.

“I’m sorry,” Clint said and Freya nodded. “Why didn’t you tell us this before?”

“I didn’t know I had to. No one told me it was happening today,” Freya said with an angry look at Fate. “I thought we had more time to stop him and Thanos.”

“Why is Thawne going after them?” Barry asked his daughter, although he already had a good idea.

“To break you, to break all of you,” Fate said as they all looked over at him. “Eobard Thawne wants to make Barry and those closest to him suffer. He is by far the most sadistic enemy you will ever face.”

“Why didn’t you tell us before, we could’ve gotten them somewhere safe by now?!” Barry exploded. 

“Any attempt to intervene before now would only have resulted in the deaths of Joe and Wally West and Mr. Barton’s family,” Fate said, stunning them all. “This helmet allows me to see into the future, into every possible future. There is only on in which we defeat Thanos and they remain alive.”

“You are as helpful as the last guy,” Tony said snarkily.

“Stephen Strange saw what needed to happen. It’s why he gave up the Time Stone to save your life, he knew you were needed for the survival of the universe,” Fate said as Tony stiffened at the reminder. “We’re in the endgame now.”

“That’s what Strange said after he gave the stone to Thanos,” Tony remembered.

“And he was right,” Freya said as they looked back at her. “What we do right now determines what kind of future my time will have. I came back to make sure Thanos and Thawne didn’t win. I need your help to do it. Please…help me.”

Earth-1  
Later in the afternoon

Wally groaned as he woke up, feeling like he’d been in a fight with a bull. As he opened his eyes, it all came back to him, Joe, Thawne. He sat up and found his hands were tied behind his back. He also noticed that there was some collar around his neck.

“Wally.”

Wally looked up to see his dad and the Bartons were there as well, all of them having their hands tied behind their backs.

“You alright?” Joe asked concerned.

“My head hurts a little but I’ll be fine. What happened?” Wally asked and Joe sighed.

“Thawne came into the house last night, took me and the kids,” Laura started.

“Then he called me and made me steal some tachyons from Star Labs or he’d hurt them. I knew he wouldn’t let them go, no matter what he said. I used my panic button but, well, you know how that went,” Joe sighed and it was silent for a minute.

“Where’s Freya?” Wally asked as he realized the toddler wasn’t there.

“We don’t know,” Cooper said. “Thawne took her somewhere when we got here.”

Wally frowned as they all glanced at each other, fearful of what Thawne might have planned for Freya.

“Can’t you phase out?” Lila asked Wally and he shook his head.

“Been trying, must be a power dampening collar around my neck,” Wally said with a glance down at his neck.

“What does he want?” Lila asked frightened.

“To hurt Barry,” Laura said, remembering Thawne’s words and Joe nodded.

“It’s what he lives for,” Joe said grimly. 

Avengers Compound, Earth-66  
Same time

Barry was in what had once been his room, looking for something as Freya walked in.

“Dad…what are you doing?” Freya asked as her father pulled his head out from under the bed.

“Well, my suit kind of got scratched up in Wakanda. I thought I might have a spare here, but I guess Tony cleaned it out after The Accords situation,” Barry sighed.

“Oh, I guess I forgot,” Freya said and Barry looked over at her as she reached into her jacket. “I meant to give this to you but I guess with everything that’s happen, it slipped my mind.”

Freya pulled something out of her jacket pocket and handed it to him. Barry took it, looking down at the object in question. It was a golden ring with a lightning bolt on it.

“Is this Thawne’s ring?” Barry asked surprised but Freya shook her head.

“No dad, it’s yours,” Freya said taking Barry back. “Tony made it for you a few years after Thanos, just before…”

“Oh,” Barry said awkwardly and Freya nodded.

“Yeah, your suits inside, there’s a button. Just put it on and clench a fist and the suit will come out,” Freya said, turning around and starting to walk out the door.

“What happens to me?” Barry asked and Freya froze. “You’ve mentioned Clint a few times but…you never mention me. What happened?”

“Dad…” Freya almost pleaded as she turned around.

“I need to know Freya, please,” Barry begged and Freya sighed.

“When I was fourteen, you were fighting this guy, Magneto. He was gonna activate some machine that would give people powers but would also kill them. You and he fought and you stopped him…but you didn’t make it,” Freya said softly, her voice cracking on the last two words and it was quiet for a few moments as Barry processed this.

“Thank you for telling me,” Barry said and she nodded. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see you grow up.”

“Me to. Hopefully in this new timeline, you will be,” Freya said softly.

Freya turned and walked out, passing Caitlin on her way.

“Everything okay?” Caitlin asked, seeing that Barry was upset.

“Not really,” Barry said with a sigh, sitting down on his bed. “This is so screwed up. Thawne is back…and it’s my fault.”

“Barry, this isn’t on you,” Caitlin started.

“Yes it is!” Barry snapped as he got to his feet. “You heard Fate, Thawne is back because I created Flashpoint! This is all my fault Cait!”

“Okay, maybe it is, but does it really matter?” Caitlin asked, taking Barry back. “Thawne is back, all that really matters is stopping him.”

“I guess you’ve got a point,” Barry said with a sigh as he looked up at her. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. But I did come here to talk to you about something,” Caitlin said and Barry raised an eyebrow. “Barry…we’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”

“Since the first time you yelled at me and Cisco about rushing in without thinking,” Barry said with a smile that Caitlin returned. 

“I thought you were reckless, but as I got to know you…I got it. Everything you did, every reckless, stupid thing you did, you were just trying to help people. I didn’t always see that, but now I do. You have such a big heart Barry, its why you inspire people. But if were gonna survive this, you also need to use this,” Caitlin said as she put a finger on the side of Barry’s head. 

“I got you for that,” Barry said, only half joking.

“Not for long. Even if we win…this is the end for us. I took your advice,” Caitlin said and it took Barry a moment to get it.

“Oh. Well…I’m happy for you,” Barry said as he got to his feet, taking her hand. “Steve better know how lucky he is.”

“I’ll miss you. Just…heart and head,” Caitlin told him.

“Heart and head,” Barry repeated softly as he pulled her into a hug, which she returned.

In a bathroom, Bruce was washing his face before he looked into the mirror.

“Okay big guy, we need to have a talk. Hulk, we need to talk, now,” Bruce told the empty room.

Bruce closed his eyes and, when he opened them, he stared into the mirror. Rather than seeing his own reflection, he saw the Hulk staring back at him.

“So that’s what you look like up close,” Bruce muttered.

“Hulk no want to talk. Banner hate Hulk,” Hulk told him gruffly.

“I don’t hate you,” Bruce said honestly, surprising Hulk. “I never hated you, I hated that I couldn’t control when I transformed into you, that I didn’t know what you’d do, if you would hurt anyone. This whole time, I‘ve been treating you like the disease, but…you’re a part of me. Maybe you’re not the disease, but the cure.”

“Hulk and Banner no fight?” Hulk inquired curiously.

“We don’t have to. We can work together, help our friends. We can do this, together, if we try,” Bruce said and Hulk stared back at him for a moment. 

“Together,” Hulk agreed before the mirror only showed Bruce.

Tony was in the lab, dusting of an old suit as Steve walked in, lingering in the doorway.

“You wanted to see me?” Steve asked and Tony nodded.

“Yeah, I’ve got something for you,” Tony said, digging around until he found what he was looking for. “Here we go.” 

Steve stared in surprise as Tony pulled out his old shield, which had been repaired from when T’Challa had scratched it over two years ago, during the fight at the airport.

“Tony, I don’t know,” Steve hedged.

“Why, he made it for you. Besides, I’ve gotta get this out of the lab, its taking up too much space,” Tony joked but Steve still looked hesitant. “Do you trust me?”

“I do,” Steve said without hesitation. 

“Then trust yourself Cap,” Tony said and Steve finally accepted the shield. “Wish I could.”

“Things not going well?” Steve inquired.

“Since Pepper…I wonder what I’m doing here, you know? I mean, no Pepper, no Avengers, what am I doing here? A guy, he needs to have a purpose. I don’t know what mine is,” Tony admitted. “Not anymore, not without Pepper.”

“I know the feeling,” Steve said, remembering how lost he’d felt when he’d come out of the ice.

“I know you do,” Tony said, catching on to Steve’s thoughts. “Any words of wisdom Cap?”

“Try and find a purpose, go out, see the world once all this is done. Take a break,” Steve said simply.

“Might just do that. If we live through this, that is,” Tony noted. 

“This is gonna work Tony. It has to,” Steve insisted.

“Good. Not sure what I’ll do if it doesn’t,” Tony said with a tired sigh.

“That makes two of us,” Steve acknowledged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I thought Professor Hulk in Endgame was stupid. Apparently he’s awesome in the comics, but I can only judge on the movies and Professor Hulk in Endgame was very unimpressive, to me at least. I thought there should have been a different resolution to the Hulk/Banner conflict.


	17. The fight of our lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers face their greatest challenge yet as the face Thanos again and attempt to stop Thawne. Doctor Fate's identity is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For visual effects, Barry’s suit in this chapter is a modified version of his season five suit. First, it actually has a jaw strap because, as awesome of the rest of the suit looks, that makes it look weird. Second, it has the white eyeholes like Spider-Man’s suit and, rather than the lightning emblem, it has The Avengers symbol on his chest.
> 
> Italics are Bruce mentally conversing with Hulk.
> 
> Also, just so you’re all aware, I recently published a prequel to this, covering what happens to Barry in the original timeline where Freya and Fate came from. It’s called ‘One last run’ if any of you want to check it out.

Avengers Compound, Earth-66

Afternoon

 

Barry was walking down the hall, passing the armory when he heard someone moving around. Peaking inside, he saw Frank loading up a riffle with ammo.

 

“There are spare pistols in the weapons cabinet,” Barry said and Frank looked up. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. If you’re looking for weapons, there are more pistols in the weapons cabinet.”

 

“Thanks kid, but I’ve got all the weapons I need,” Frank said as he put the rifle down. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Shoot. Not literally, of course,” Barry joked but Frank didn’t smile.

 

“You’re from this Earth-1. And when you walked in here, you seemed like you knew me. There’s a Frank Castle on your earth, isn’t there?” Frank asked and Barry nodded.

 

“Yeah, there is. You actually remind me a lot of him,” Barry admitted.

 

“So you two were friends?” Frank asked and Barry laughed.

 

“I wouldn’t say we were friends. We took a prison back from a psychopath who let all the prisoners loose, never saw him again,” Barry said and Frank nodded.

 

“What’s his story?” Frank inquired.

 

“His family was murdered in gang violence, he declared war on all criminals, killed them ruthlessly and without mercy. Was caught by an organization called Argus, my earth’s SHIELD, and held in a prison designed to hold the most dangerous criminals. Was pulled out for a mission, went rogue, escaped, helped out a friend of mine in a tight spot before he disappeared. Rest is all rumors,” Barry said and Frank sighed.

 

“Guess some things are universal,” Frank said sadly and Barry stared at him.

 

“You lost your family to?” Barry questioned and Frank nodded.

 

“His story is almost exactly like mine, almost exactly,” Frank said before he looked up at Barry. “So this Thawne guy, what’s his deal?”

 

“He’s a psychopath who lives to torture me,” Barry said bitterly. “He’s from the future and he hates me because he couldn’t be me. He killed my mom when I was a kid. You wanna know why? Because he couldn’t kill me.”

 

“That’s rough kid,” Frank said and Barry laughed humorlessly.

 

“Yeah, that’s one word for it. But he’s also the one who gave me my powers. In a lot of ways, he turned me into The Flash,” Barry sighed.

 

“That’s bullshit kid,” Frank said, surprising Barry. “There was a time when, if you’d asked me, I would’ve told you I was like anyone else before I lost my family. That when I lost them, I became something different. That I become someone else, something else. Then one night, sitting by wife’s grave, I realized…this was always who I was. And whoever you are now, it’s who you always were; Thawne didn’t turn you into it. Maybe you got a little angrier, a little softer or whatever shit it is. But this is always who you were, deep down.”

 

Frank then picked up his trench coat and put it on before grabbing his rifle. He walked off, leaving Barry to muse on Frank’s words for a few moments before he turned and walked off after Frank.

 

He and Frank joined the others in the briefing room, Steve Clint, and Fate stood at the front of the room in front of two holographic scenes. One had a three dimensional layout of Thanos’ gauntlet while the other had a picture of Clint’s family, probably taken before The Accords situation, given Nate looked to still be a toddler.

 

“Alright, we have a plan,” Steve said as they all straightened, feeling the weight of what was about to happen. “Two teams, two missions, one shot.”

 

A little later, they all stood in the training room. Steve, Tony, Thor, Fate, Caitlin, Bruce, Frank, Rhodey, Nebula, and Rocket stood in one group while Barry, Clint, Freya, Natasha, Bobbi, Mack, Matt and Scott stood together. Cassie stood in the doorway, peaking her head in despite her daddy telling her he’d be back later. Fury stood behind her, a sense of pride filling him as Steve started.

 

“Last time we faced Thanos, we lost. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Now, we have a chance to take it all back and keep what we still have,” Steve said, glancing over at Barry and Clint before moving his gaze around the room. “Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives and we’re gonna win. Whatever it takes. Good luck.”

 

“He’s pretty good at that,” Rocket said to no one in particular once Steve was finished.

 

“I know right?” Tony chuckled.

 

Then, the time for talking was over. Tony and Rhodey lowered their face plates as Scott put on his helmet. Caitlin closed her eyes as her hair turned pure white and she opened her eyes to reveal glowing blue orbs. Bruce groaned as his skin turned green and his body increased in muscle mass and height. His shirt shredded and his jeans stretched as the Hulk took over, unleashing a roar that shook the building. Finally, Barry clenched his fist, activating the ring. His suit flew out and Barry used super speed, quickly putting it on.

 

“Wow, who made this?” Barry asked in awe as he looked at his suit.

 

“Fitz. Its bullet proof, has an electrical interface that will ward off psychic attacks, plus night vision and thermal scanning,” Freya listed, impressing Barry.

 

“Okay, enough chit chat, time to go,” Clint said, pulling out an extrapolator and activating it.

 

A breach opened up behind them as Fate waved him hand, opening up another portal.

 

“See you in a minute,” Natasha said with a smirk at Steve, who merely smiled before the two groups each entered their respective portals.

 

New Titan

 

The group exited Fate’s portal, which closed behind them. They looked around at the planet in a little confusion.

 

“Are we in the right place?” Rhodey asked wearily.

 

“We are,” Nebula confirmed grimly.

 

“Thanos should be just up ahead,” Fate assured them. “I will not be much use in this fight. I must save my strength to create another portal.”

 

“You’ve done more than enough, we’ll handle it from here,” Steve assured him.

 

“Do not kill him, only get the stones,” Fate warned them.

 

“Let me guess, we try and kill him and we create a future that kicks off the zombie apocalypse,” Tony said only half joking.

 

“There is only one future in which Thanos is defeated. Get the stones, bring everyone back, then face Thanos together, as you always should have,” Fate ordered.

 

“Yeah yeah yeah, are we gonna do this or what?” Rocket asked as he notched his weapon.

 

“Let’s get this son of a bitch,” Frank said darkly.

 

No further words were shared as Fate lingered behind them, the others walking ahead. It wasn’t long before they came upon a wooden house that didn’t look very big for someone of Thanos’ size. And sitting on the front porch, a double edged sword stabbed into the ground near him was Thanos, eying them calmly.

 

“You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me,” Thanos said in greeting as he got to his feet. “I thought that by wiping out half of all life, the other half would thrive. But you’ve shown me that’s impossible. As long as there are those who remember what was, there will always be those who are unable to accept what can be. They will resist.”

 

“Yeah, we’re all kinds of stubborn,” Tony quipped.

 

“I’m thankful. Because now-”

 

“Can we skip the part where you go on your little monologue? Not in the mood to hear you go on about your master plan,” Frank said, cocking his gun and Thanos smiled thinly.

 

“Castle,” Thanos greeted him, stunning them all.

 

“You know me?” Frank asked.

 

“I do. The man who unleashes terror and death on those he deems unworthy of living and calls it heroism,” Thanos noted and Frank sneered.

 

“You murdered trillions and you think you’re better than me?”  Frank asked angrily.

 

“No. We are the same, you and I. Both products of a universe that needs correcting. And I am the only one who can correct it. I am inevitable,” Thanos said as he moved to snap his fingers.

 

However, his hand was suddenly in a vice like grip, the gauntlet glowing gold.

 

“Get the stones, I cannot hold him for long,” Fate said, his hands glowing and they could hear the strain in his voice.

 

Needing no further prompting, The Avengers lunged for Thanos. However, Thanos was able to break free of Fate’s magic and used the Power Stone, sending a powerful blast at them. Thor used Stormbreaker to cut through the beam, throwing his weapon. As the lightning charged weapon cut through the energy, Thanos dodged the weapon, Stormbreaker flying inches away from his arm.

 

“You keep missing,” Thanos said smugly and Thor glowered at him. “And none of you can stop me.”

 

To the horror of The Avengers, he snapped his fingers. But, to the confusion of everyone, nothing happened. Thanos looked down at his gauntlet and saw, to his shock, the Mind Stone was missing

 

“Looking for this?” Fate asked, holding up his hand, holding the Mind Stone. “You won’t be getting it back.”

 

Central City, Earth-1

Same time

 

Thawne entered the room and caused Joe, Wally, Laura and the kids to glare at him.

 

“Where’s my granddaughter? What did you do with her?!” Joe demanded.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about her Joe, I’d worry about yourself,” Thawne said, raising his hand, the room growing deathly quiet as his hand vibrating. “You know, every time you looked at me, judged me, I wanted to shove my hand through your chest. I guess some dreams do come true.”

 

Before Thawne cold make a move, there was a gust of wind in the room. The air suddenly shifted and Thawne started laughing maniacally. He stopped vibrating his hand and lowered it to his side, turning around. Barry stood a few feet from him, his sword in hand.

 

“I should have known you’d be here to stop me. I heard you’d gotten a new toy,” Thawne said gleefully as he eyed Barry’s sword. “How did you find out where I was holding them?”

 

“I have eyes and ears everywhere,” Barry said vaguely.

 

Wally felt something crawling on him and looked down. Scott, shrunken down, was climbing up Wally’s suit. Once he reached Wally’s neck, he placed a finger in front of his helmet, signaling that Wally be quiet before he started trying to get the collar off.

 

“You really are an ego maniac Thawne. I mean, holding them at the house you lived in as Harrison Wells?” Barry asked, trying to keep Thawne’s attention on him. “Speaking of-”

 

“Do you like my face?” Thawne asked with a smirk.

 

“It’s the face you were wearing when I became The Flash,” Barry noted.

 

“I thought I’d put it on again, for old times’ sake. Plus, handsome,” Thawne said smugly.

 

“Sara told me you were killed by some Speedster grim reaper. How are you still alive?” Barry demanded and Thawne chuckled in a way that sent chills down the spines of everyone else.

 

“Shortly after I became the Reverse Flash, I discovered the existence of another energy force. The Negative Speed Force. It’s the pathway to many abilities that you would call unnatural,” Thawne suddenly chuckled. “Cisco would probably hate that I used a Star Wars reference. Just like us, The Negative Speed Force is the opposite of the Speed Force. It siphons off energy from the Speed Force and uses Negative Tachyons. By harnessing its power, I’m able to escape death. Only one person can kill me, someone who has true mastery over the Speed Force. And you won’t do it.”

 

“You sure about that?” Barry asked lowly.

 

“Oh I know it. I created you, you are who you are because I made you,” Thawne said confidently.

 

“That’s where you’re wrong Thawne. Whoever am now, it’s who I always was, not who you turned me into,” Barry said, remembering Frank’s words from earlier.

 

“Man, this guy sure loves to hear himself talk,” Mack muttered over the Comms.

 

“Scott, where are you on Wally’s collar?” Natasha inquired.

 

“Almost there, just need a little more time,” Scott said as quietly as he could, trying not to alert Thane to his presence.

 

“Barry, we’ve searched the house top to bottom and I’ve listened. Your daughter isn’t here,” Matt said and Barry frowned, displeased.

 

“Got it!” Scott shouted victoriously as the collar around Wally’s neck came opened with a snap.

 

Wally gasped as he felt the Speed Force flow through him once more. Thawne whirled around as Wally, with his powers returned, vibrated his hands and hardened them, breaking the ropes around his hands as Scott enlarged himself, returning to normal size.

 

“You brought a friend,” Thawne noted as he regarded Scott. “The odds don’t seem fair.”

 

Thawne suddenly vibrated his body, his eyes glowing red. With a roar, several more Thawnes emerged from him, surrounding the room.

 

“Now that feels better,” Thawne said with a smirk. “You should have brought more friends Barry.”

 

“Yeah, he’s right. We should have thought of that Scott,” Barry said with such calm it surprised everyone but Scott.

 

“Yeah, we should have,” Scott played along before he seemed to ‘remember’ something. “Oh wait! We did!”

 

Silent as shadows, they entered the room. Natasha and Matt jumped down, Natasha pulling out a pistol while Matt brought out his Billy Clubs. Clint and Bobbi followed, Clint with his bow and arrow and Bobbi with her Battle Shaves, Mack following behind with his Shotgun Axe. Finally, Freya entered the room, her eyes glowing red as she glared at Thawne.

 

“You’ve brought a lot of friends it seems,” Thawne noted as he eyed them all. “Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Bobbi Morse, Alphonso Mackenzie, Matt Murdock, Scott Lang. The only one I don’t know is the girl who keeps glowing at me with those glowing eyes.”

 

“You took everything from me,” Freya snarled, her hands crackling with energy. “You and Thanos.”

 

“I don’t even know who you are,” Thawne said, sounding bored.

 

“Shouldn’t have said that douchebag,” Clint said as he saw the look of pure rage, so much like her mother’s, cross Freya’s face.

 

“You will,” Freya hissed before she sent a blast of energy at Thawne.

 

New Titan

Same time

 

Thor was blasted back by a beam from the Power Stone and, as he landed on the ground, Thanos turned his attention to Fate.

 

“You could have taken all of them, yet you only took one. Your powers are limited wizard,” Thanos as he began moving towards Fate. “You made a mistake coming here.”

 

Before he could get far, he was hit with a blast of ice. Thanos stepped back, half blind as Frost neared him, blasting him with ice.

 

“No, you made a mistake when you murdered our friends,” Frost sneered, hitting with everything she had.

 

With a snarl of rage, Thanos used the Reality Stone to turn it all to water. Frost barely has time to process this before Thanos was lifting her up, squeezing her neck. She gasped for breath before Thanos was hit in the head with Steve’s shield. This distracted him long enough for Nebula to rush him, striking him with her electrified staff. The shock caused Thanos to let Frost go and she dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. Steve grabbed his shield as it returned to him and rushed over to her.

 

“Thanks lover,” Frost said breathlessly as he helped her up.

 

“Thank me when we win,” Steve said grimly.

 

Snarling in rage, Thanos used the Space Stone to send them all flying. Thanos then whirled around, catching his double edged sword, which Hulk had yanked out of the ground and attempted to use on him. Thanos merely smirked as he pushed back, yanking the sword out of Hulk’s hands.

 

“You’re strong, I’ll admit. But brute strength without knowledge on how to use it is worthless,” Thanos said condescendingly.

 

Hulk suddenly smirked, confusing Thanos. Tony and Rhodey then flew in, firing missiles at Thanos. They made contact but only served to distract Thanos, which was what they were hoping for. Hulk slugged Thanos before grabbing the gauntlet, attempting to yank it off. However, Thanos used the Power Stone, sending Hulk flying back into his house. Hulk crashed into it, demolishing it.

 

 _“Well, that could have gone better,”_ Bruce said as Hulk shook his head.

 

“Your idea bad!” Hulk roared as he got up.

 

 _“I don’t see you coming up with any bright ideas!”_ Bruce snapped.

 

With a roar, Hulk jumped back into the fray. He landed near Thanos and, as Thanos turned to engage, Hulk clapped his hands together with all his strength. The resulting shock wave sent Thanos stumbling back and Hulk once again grabbed for the gauntlet. He tried to wrestle it off Thanos but Thanos used the Space Stone to send Hulk flying back.

 

“What made you think that would end any differently?” Thanos asked smugly.

 

Hulk smirked as he got up, holding his hand. Thanos was shocked to see the Power Stone in his palm. Thanos quickly glanced down at his gauntlet to see that he now only had four of the six stones.

 

“I’m impressed. To be able to hold the Power Stone is no small feat. You have my respect Hulk. But you will return that stone to me, one way or another,” Thanos said confidently.

 

Earth-1

Same time

 

It was absolute chaos; there was no other word for it as Freya used her powers to cause objects in the room to fly all around, making it difficult for the Thawnes to avoid her allies. Clint fired an arrow and one of the Thawnes caught it before it went off in an explosion, sending the Thawne back. Bobbi and Mack engaged another one, Mack firing his Shotgun Axe but the Thawne dodged. However, it was hit from behind by Natasha’s Widow’s Bite, allowing Matt to strike him with his Billy Club. The two blows knocked the Thawne out as Natasha fired at another one. It dodged as Bobbi electrified her Staves and attempted to use them on him. The Thawne dodged her strikes and grabbed her by the throat, to Mack’s horror.

 

“Looks like you’ll be seeing Hunter a lot sooner than expected,” Thawne said as he prepared to deliver the killing blow as his free hand vibrated.

 

However, Wally sped in and struck the Thawne in the collar bone. The Thawne let Bobbi go and Mack and Natasha fired at him. Thawne sped away and Wally sped after him. Freya used her powers to send a wave of energy down the hall, knocking Thawne’s cones off their feet.

 

“She’s definitely her mother’s daughter,” Clint said approvingly as he notched an arrow.

 

Joe and Scott stood proactively in front of Laura and the kids, knowing neither of them would be much use in this fight. Something Freya, Clint, and Natasha all noticed.

 

“Get them out of here Scott!” Freya shouted as the Thawne clones all got to their feet.

 

“Take them to the Compound and come back for us!” Clint added as he fired an arrow.

 

“Right, you can count on me,” Scott said as he pulled out the extrapolator he had been given, turning to the group of civilians. “Anyone up for a trip to another earth?”

 

In another room, away from the rest of the battle, Barry and Thawne duked it out. Barry swung his sword but Thawne easily evaded. However, Barry then sent a kick to Thawne’s chest, causing Thawne to stumble back a bit. Barry slammed him against the wall before putting his sword at Thawne’s neck.

 

“Where is my daughter?!” Barry snarled.

 

Thawne only laughed, enjoying Barry anger. Snarling in rage, Barry slugged him before throwing him across the room. Thawne got up and they sped towards each other, the fight continuing.

 

New Titan

Same time

 

Frank unloaded his rifles on Thanos but Thanos used the Space Stone, stopping the bullets before they even reached him. Frank realized this and stopped firing. Thanos then used the Reality Stone to turn the bullets into steel spikes.

 

“Shit,” Frank said, realizing Thanos was about to use them.

 

However, before he could, Stormbreaker cut through the spikes, completely destroying them. Thanos looked as Stormbreaker returned to Thor’s hand, the Asgardian having a furious look on his face.

 

“You shall kill no more. This ends now!” Thor snarled, rushing Thanos.

 

“Finally, a challenge,” Thanos said with a smirk, whirling his sword as he met the most powerful Avenger in battle.

 

Earth-1

Same time

 

“Where is she?!” Barry snarled as he had Thawne on his knees, a sword at his neck. “Tell me or I’ll take your head off!”

 

“If you kill me, you’ll never find out where your beloved Freya is,” Thawne mocked and Barry growled in a way that would have made Oliver Queen proud.

 

New Titan

Same time

 

Thor knocked the sword out of Thanos’ hands and attempted to bring Stormbreaker down on his arm, to cut off the gauntlet. However, Thanos grabbed his arm with his free hand, stopping Thor.

 

Earth-1

Same time

 

Freya held two lightning bolts in her hands, her eyes glowing red as she charged them with her magic. Everyone got out of the way as, with a cry, she stopped running and threw them at the Thawne clones. The lightning bolts hit the ground and unleashed a wave of energy so powerful it destroyed the roof. The Thawne clones cried out as they seemed to be disintegrated by the energy.

 

In the other room, Barry and Thawne stopped their fight as they saw the roof be destroyed. Taking advantage of Barry’s distraction, Thawne elbowed Barry in the chest before breaking free of his hold and racing out of the room. Barry followed him as the others saw them race passed. Freya and Wally followed after them at high speed as a breach opened up, signaling Scott’s return.

 

“Wow, what happened here?” Scott exclaimed as he saw the roof, or rather lack of.

 

“Never mind, Barry, Freya and Wally just took off after Thawne. They might need help, let’s go,” Natasha ordered and the group moved out of the room as fast as they could.

 

New Titan

Same time

 

Steve jumped on Thanos’ back, dangling from his neck as he wrapped his arms around Thanos’ throat, distracting Thanos momentarily. However, Thanos head butted Thor, making Thor let go in surprise and Thanos punched him, sending Thor stumbling back. Thanos then grabbed Steve and threw him off, knocking him into Frank. The two fell to the ground in a heap of limbs as Thanos moved towards Fate, who simply stood calmly as he faced Thanos.

 

“You detest me, I can feel it. Why do you hate me so?” Thanos asked curiously. “Have I wronged you in some way?”

 

“You have wronged many people, Thanos, son of A’Lars,” Fate said vaguely, surprising Thanos that he knew the name of his father, which Thanos had never revealed to anyone.

 

Thanos was suddenly hit by blasts of ice as Frost gave him everything she had once more.

 

“Now Thor,” She cried out.

 

With a roar, Thor rose into the air before he threw Stormbreaker. The lightning charged weapon cut through the beams of ice and into Thanos’ flesh. Thanos cried out in pain as his arm with the gauntlet fell to the ground.

 

Earth-1

Same time

 

Thawne stopped in front of a warehouse, Barry, Freya, and Wally stopping behind him.

 

“Where is my daughter?!” Barry snarled.

 

“She’s here,” Thawne said simply, gesturing to the warehouses as the realized they were in the warehouse district. “She’s in one of these warehouses. But it won’t be easy Barry.”

 

“What the hell did you do?” Barry asked, seeing the sadistic look in Thawne’s eyes.         

 

“I rigged the warehouses to a bomb that will take out all of warehouses. You can’t open the door without setting it off. And even without that, once you pick her up, that will set it off. Even you aren’t fast enough for that Barry. I look forward to seeing how it turns out,” Thawne chuckled before speeding off.

 

“Let him go Wally,” Barry said as he saw his protégé wanted to go after Thawne. “The important thing is finding Freya…younger Freya.”

 

“There are dozens of warehouses, how are we supposed to find her?” Wally asked frustrated.

 

“Dad’s suit,” Freya said simply, confusing Wally.

 

“It has thermal scanning, just have to do a quick scan…how do I do that?” Barry asked as he looked at his daughter.

 

“Tap your ear piece, like you would your Comms,” Freya said, amused despite the situation.

 

Barry nodded, tapping his ear piece and activating his thermal scanners. Barry sped around for a minute, looking for his young daughter and found her quickly.

 

“Okay, I found her. Forth Warehouse on the right. Now we cotta figure how to get her out,” Barry said, fear filling him that this was one task he would fail at.

 

“Dad, I have an idea…but I don’t think you’re gonna like it,” Freya said after a moment.

 

New Titan

Same time

 

Fate used his magic to drag Thanos’ gauntlet over, Tony catching it as they all retreated over to Fate, converging as he opened a portal. As they fled into the portal, Thanos, seething with rage, pulled out the dagger that had once belonged to Gamora and threw it at them.

 

Earth-1

Same time

 

“Freya, you sure about this?” Barry asked nervously as he stood in front of the warehouse.

 

“I’m sure dad,” Freya said confidently. “I can do this.”

 

“Okay. But, in case this goes sideways…I want to know that I’m proud of you, of who you’ve grown up to be. And your mom would be to,” Barry said and Freya breathed in, trying to control her emotions.

 

“Thanks dad,” Freya said thickly.

 

“Time to get this show on the road,” Barry muttered.

 

Barry phased through the door of the warehouse and entered the building. It was a dark room, dimply lit. He saw his daughter in a playpen that looked like it was under a pressure plat.

 

“Dada!” she exclaimed as she saw her father, standing up and putting her hands on railing of the playpen.

 

“Hey Slugger,” Barry smiled weakly as he walked over to the playpen. “Don’t worry, Daddy’s here. Freya, get ready.”

 

Younger Freya held her hands out; wanting up as Barry leaned down, putting his hands under her arms.

 

“Okay, on the count of three. One…two…three!” Barry shouted as he quickly pulled Freya out of the playpen.

 

The pressure plate started lifting up as Barry sped out of the warehouse. The Warehouse district started shaking as he and Freya began speeding out. Seeing the telltale signs of an explosion, Freya used her powers to contain the would be blast. Areas around them began to explode, causing Freya to speed around, containing the blasts as best she could as father and daughter ran out. They met Wally at a safe distance and Freya let go as the blasts went off, taking out the entire district as the three speedsters watched. Young Freya cried out, frightened by the loud noises as Barry tried to sooth her.

 

“I’m glad you got Wanda’s powers as well as mine, that would have turned out differently if you didn’t,” Barry said as he looked over at his grown daughter.

 

“I only have half her powers, I don’t have her telepathy or the other mental stuff,” Freya said sheepishly but it was clear she loved her father’s praise.

 

“Well, that looks exciting,” Clint said dryly as he, Natasha, Bobbi, Mack, Scott, and Matt arrived on the scene.

 

“Gra’pa!” Freya squealed as she saw him, reaching for him.

 

“Hey kid,” Clint said, ruffling her hair and she laughed. “Where’s Thawne?”

 

“He left. Whatever his plan was, it wasn’t to kill me,” Barry said frustrated.

 

“That what is it?” Matt asked and Barry sighed.

 

“I don’t know Matt. Thawne, he’s always a step ahead of me,” Barry said, his voice showing his frustration as Matt remembered Fisk. “But whatever it is, he’ll make sure I’ll suffer and he’ll be there to see it.”

 

“Well, we got everyone back to The Compound safely. Let’s go home,” Scott said as he held up the Extrapolator.

 

Avengers Compound, Earth-66

Moments later

 

When they returned to the Compound, it was to a scene that they didn’t quite understand. Laura, Joe and the kids were there, as were the rest of their teammates. However, they all seemed distressed. Steve was holding a bloodied dagger, looking horrified as they all stared down at something. As the group approached, they saw Fate was on the floor, a wound and huge blood stain on his abdomen.

 

“No!” Freya shouted, rushing to his side. “What happened?!”

 

“Thanos threw a dagger as Fate closed the portal. It was supposed to be me, but Fate pushed me out of the way,” Steve said in shock.

 

“Freya,” Fate said softly as she helped him sit up.

 

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you to the med bay, come on,” Freya said, trying to help him up but he simply sat there.

 

“Freya…please, remove my helmet,” Fate said to the shock of everyone.

 

“No, if we do that you’ll die,” Freya said immediately.

 

“Nothing can stop that now,” Fate said, to Freya’s devastation. “It is alright. I saw this moment the first time I put on the helmet. This was always how it was going to end. Please…let me see with my own eyes as I die. Please Freya.”

 

For a few moments, it was completely silent. Then, with a shaky breath, Freya reached out with trembling hands and put her hands on either side of the helmet. Slowly, she removed the helmet and there was a golden flash of light. When it faded, Doctor Fate was gone, leaving an old man in regular clothes. As they saw his face for the first time, everyone could only stare in shock as Fate chuckled.

 

“To quote an old friend, I bet you didn’t see this coming,” Fate said, a weak smirk on the aged and worn face of Clint Barton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Group fight scenes are difficult to write, so I hope I did okay. 
> 
> What, you didn’t see that coming? In all seriousness, yes, Fate is Clint from the future. This is a moment I’ve been planning since the end of Torn between two earths. Doctor Fate was always going to be future Clint. Hope you guys like that little twist.


	18. Bringing them back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone reels from Fate's identity as they prepare to undo what Thanos did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad most of you seem to like the twist with Fate. So, here is the next chapter. Don’t expect the next one to come so quickly, just a warning.

Avengers Compound

Afternoon

 

“But what…I don’t…how…” For once in his life, Clint was at a complete loss for words.

 

“Do we still look this good after twenty-three years?” Fate said cheekily, chuckling as he ignored the pain this caused him.

 

“When you said we wouldn’t believe you, you weren’t kidding,” Joe muttered as he glanced over at the grown Freya.

 

“Don’t blame her, I told her not to tell you,” Fate said, placing a hand on Freya’s shoulder. “You didn’t need to know, to think about what could happen if you failed. You didn’t need a living reminder of that burden.”

 

“How did this happen? How did you become…” Natasha trailed off, unsure how to say it.

 

“The words you’re looking for are ‘Agent of Order’ Nat,” Fate chuckled as he looked over at her, his eyes softening. “It’s good to see you again.”

 

“Dad?” Nate said confused, looking between the two versions of his father.

 

“Hey buddy,” Fate smiled sadly as his eyes flickered from Nate to the stunned Lili to the bewildered Cooper and finally to Laura, who looked as confused as her youngest son. “I’m glad I got to see you all one last time.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Laura finally said, staring at the future version of her husband. “How did this happen to you?”

 

“I lost you. I lost you and the kids,” Fate said, his voice raw with the pain that sentence brought him. “Where I come from, there was no one to warn us what Thawne was going to do. You, the kids, Joe and Wally all died because we weren’t there to stop him. And I left. For about two years, I left to try and find some sort of meaning in my life without you guys.”

 

“And you found the helmet,” Steve said softly, staring at the object Freya still had in her hands.

 

“I was in Tibet, in a bar. This man sitting next to me pulled out a bag…”

 

_Tibet, Earth-66, two years into the future_

_Night_

_Clint was staring into his glass when someone put a duffle bag in front of him. Clint almost jumped as he was startled out of his thoughts. He looked over at the man sitting next to him, an old man with a mustache wearing glasses._

_“Try it on,” the man said simply._

_“What?” Clint said confused._

_With a smile, the man unzipped the bag. Clint looked inside to see a golden helmet inside._

_“You-you want me to try on a helmet?” Clint asked incredulously. “Sorry, I think I’ll pass.”_

_“One person can make a difference. ‘Nuff, said,” the man said randomly._

_Clint turned to tell the man no, but stopped short. The man was gone, leaving only him with the bag. He had half a mind to shove the bag in a trash can but, for some reason he couldn’t name, he didn’t. Instead, he zipped up the bag and took it with him._

_That night, in a motel, Clint was sleeping in his bed when he woke up to a bright light, shining in his room for some reason. He got out of bed, heading over to the bag, which was glowing. He opened in up, seeing the helmet was glowing. A strange feeling washed over Clint. It was almost like the helmet was calling to him, urging him to put it on. Clint reached into the bag, pulling it out and staring at the helmet. Ignoring every instinct in his body, Clint put on the helmet and, in a flash, Doctor Fate stood in the room where Clint had been._

Now

 

“I don’t know who that man was, but he gave me the helmet for a reason, I know that,” Fate said as they all listened to his story. “He was right, one person can make a difference, I see that now. I saw this moment twenty one years ago, when first I put on the helmet. Everything I’ve done since has been to make sure we all get here. Clint…take the helmet.”

 

“What?” Clint asked in shock.

 

“Go ahead, take it,” Fate said, looking over at Freya.

 

Freya held it out to him and, after a moment of hesitation, Clint reached out and took it from her. Clint stared down at the helmet, an unreadable expression on his face as they all stared at him.

 

“Clint?” Natasha asked wearily.

 

“You can feel it, can’t you? It’s calling to you, just like it called to me,” Fate said as Clint looked back at him. “It’s yours now Clint. Put it on and you will know what needs to be done. You will know what to do.”

 

With every word he spoke, Fate seemed to lose strength until he looked ready to pass out.

 

“Grandpa,” Freya said her voice cracking with emotion as Fate smiled at her.

 

“It’s okay Freya, I knew this would happen. I’m okay,” Fate said weakly as he reached over and placed a hand on the side of her face, tears running down her cheeks. “After your dad died, I did my best with you, to raise you how I thought your parents would. I’m proud of the person you’ve grown up to be. Brace yourself.”

 

Before Freya could ask what he meant, he slumped forward, his head into her shoulder as his hands went limp, the Mind Stone clattering to the floor. He was gone.

 

New Titan

Same time

 

“So, you failed,” Thawne said as he walked over to Thanos, seeing the mad Titan sitting on the porch of his demolished house, a solemn look on his face as his hand held the stump where his arm had once been.

 

“I underestimated them,” Thanos admitted.

 

“And so you failed,” Thawne said and Thanos glared at him. “Fortunately, I prepared for this.”

 

“You knew they would get the stones,” Thanos realized after a moment.

 

“They are Avengers; they will not stop fighting until they die. I prepared for the scenario in which they got back the stones,” Thawne then pulled out the container Joe had given him which contained the tachyons.

 

“What is that?” Thanos asked as he eyed the container and Thawne smirked.

 

“This is what will allow us to defeat The Avengers once and for all and let us both get what we want,” Thawne assured him.

 

Avengers Compound

Later in the afternoon

 

Freya was standing in what classified as the Compound’s morgue but was basically just the basement. Fate’s body had been put on a table with a sheet covering it and Freya stared at it, a hand over her mouth. Barry walked in, looking over at the body before looking back at Freya.

 

“Don’t ask me if I’m okay,” Freya said gruffly as she lowered her hand to her side.

 

“I wasn’t, because I know you’re not,” Barry said as he walked over to her.

 

“He never told me. He told me that he knew how it would end but he never told me he would die. Why didn’t he tell me?” Freya asked brokenly.

 

“Because he knew you’d try to save him,” Barry said and she looked over at him. “I spent my entire life trying to get my family back and look what it cost me, what it cost everyone. We’re not gods Freya, our actions have consequences. Fate-Clint knew that, which is why he didn’t tell you. I don’t know what he saw in these other futures, but it was enough for him to decide not to tell you for a reason. Trust that he knew what he was doing.”

 

“I miss him,” Freya said softly as she leaned into him, Barry wrapping his arms around her.

 

“I know. So let’s make sure he didn’t die for nothing,” Barry whispered in her ear.

 

In the briefing room, Clint was sitting down at the table, staring at the helmet he had placed on it. Natasha and Laura entered the room, seeing he was deep in thought. Natasha gestured at him and Laura nodded, walking over as Natasha left to give them some privacy.

 

“How you doing Hawkeye?” Laura asked as she walked behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

 

“Just trying to think,” Clint said with a sigh. “Finding out the guy who didn’t tell you before now a psychopath was after your family was a future version of you…when did my life become a Sci-Fi movie?”

 

“New York,” Laura said simply and Clint winced. “Why are you staring at the helmet?”

 

“I think I’m gonna put it on,” Clint said after a moment and Laura tensed.

 

“Clint…you know I support your Aveng-ing, but from what Nat told me about the other you that wore it, that helmet drains you as you use it,” Laura said carefully.

 

“Because he used it for over twenty years. I only need to use it once,” Clint got up out as his chair, turning around and taking her hands in his. “Fate, the other me…everything he did, every choice he made, he did it to save you, save our kids. His job isn’t done until Thanos is stopped. He risked everything to give this helmet to me; he bet his life on it. Have faith in me one more time.”

 

“You know I do but…are you sure about this?” Laura asked carefully.

 

“No…but I have to try,” Clint said resolutely.

 

Laura knew, regardless of what she said, he was going to do this. So, swallowing her nerves and doubts, she watched as he picked up the helmet and put it on. There was a blinding flash of golden light and, when it founded, Doctor Fate stood in the room, his entire body radiating with power.

 

“Clint?” Laura called out hesitantly.

 

“I see it,” Fate said after a moment. “I see what must be done.”

 

Everyone else, besides Joe and the kids, was in the lab, Tony and Bruce (back in normal form and changed into regular clothes), examining the completed gauntlet Fitz had made in awe. It was almost an exact copy of Thanos’ gauntlet except it was black instead of gold and smaller, so it would fit them.

 

“You did this in five hours?” Bruce asked as he glanced over at Fitz.

 

“Four and a half. I had to make sure I hadn’t made a mistake, the smallest thing could have disastrous results,” Fitz said, impressing them.

 

“I see why Coulson had such faith in you kid,” Fury said impressed as Barry and Freya entered the room. “He was lucky to have you as part of his team.”

 

Fitz simply nodded, not sure what to say to that.

 

“So that’s the thing that’s gonna bring everyone back?” Frank asked, unimpressed as he looked at the gauntlet.

 

“If works as it should, yeah,” Fitz said still a little nervous due to the pressure on this.

 

“It’ll work kid. What you did, I couldn’t have done it better myself,” Tony said as he saw the doubt in Fitz’s eyes. “How’d you like to come work for me?”

 

Fitz laughed as Steve, Rhodey, and Natasha rolled their eyes good naturedly at Tony’s antics.

 

“As flattering as that is, I already work for SHIELD,” Fitz said.

 

“Damn straight Turbo,” Mack said as he looked at the gauntlet. “So how do we do this?”

 

“First, we need to get the stones in their slots, which won’t be easy, since they’re giving off a lot of radiation,” Bruce started.

 

“I can put them there,” Freya said and they all looked over at her. “With my powers, I can put them all where they need to go without even touching them. None of you have to do a thing.”

 

Everyone looked over at her, uncertain as a voice spoke up.

 

“She is correct.”

 

Everyone looked as Fate entered the room, followed by Laura, the kids, and Joe, who was holding a squirming Freya in his arms.

 

“Clint? Is that you?” Natasha asked uncertainly.

 

“It is,” Fate confirmed as he looked over at Freya, who had gone pale at the sight of him. “Freya can do this. I have seen it.”

 

“You sure about this?” Steve asked as he looked over at Freya.

 

“Yeah, I am,” Freya said as she got a hold of herself, pointedly not looking at Fate as she instead looked at Steve. “I can do this, I know I can.”

 

“Okay then, I guess it’s settled,” Steve said with a nod and Freya smiled.

 

“Before we begin, there is something you need to know,” Fate said as they all looked over at him. “I must return my family to Earth-1. Mr. Lang, I believe it best that Cassandra comes with me.”

 

“What?” Scott said sharply, the thought of sending his daughter to another earth far from thrilling.

 

“I understand your hesitance, but it is to protect her from is coming,” Fate said and they all tensed.

 

“What’s coming Clint?” Bobbi asked.

 

“Nothing you cannot handle but the children will be safe on Earth-1. I will also need Wally’s help with something,” Fate said as he looked over at the confused Speedster. “I have a task only you can help me with.”

 

“Whatever you need,” Wally said after moment.

 

“Okay,” Scott allowed a sigh as he looked over at his daughter. “I don’t like it, but if you think she’ll be safe there…okay.”

 

“Bye daddy,” Cassie said as she walked over to him, hugging him around the waist.

 

“Bye Peanut. Don’t worry, I’ll see you soon,” Scott said as he returned her hug.

 

“We keep saying goodbye lately,” Joe joked as Barry walked over to him.

 

“We’ll be together soon, I promise,” Barry said, placing hand on Joe’s shoulder before looking down at his young daughter. “All of us. Mommy and Daddy will be by soon, okay Slugger?”

 

Young Freya simply smiled at him as Barry stepped back. Fate opened a portal and they all entered. As it closed, their loved ones stared after them for a moment before Steve looked over at Freya.

 

“Let’s do this,” Steve ordered and Freya nodded.

 

Once they had recovered from the shock of Fate’s identity, they had stored the six stones in a vault where Tony kept his most dangerous projects.  Freya walked over to it and nodded at Tony.

 

“FRIDAY, open vault. Password: Potts,” Tony ordered.

 

“Safeguard disengaged, opening vault,” FRIDAY’s voice entered the room before, with a few clicks, the vault opened.

 

Freya waved her hands, which glowed red, as the energy coated stones flew out slowly, one by one. Everyone watched with baited breath as Freya gently put the stones into their respective slots. With a snap, it all came together as Freya lowered her hands, the energy fading from her hands as well as the stones.

 

“Boom!” Rocket suddenly shouted and they all jumped, Rocket laughing until they all glared at him. “Sorry.”

 

“Okay, it’s ready,” Bruce said after checking that everyone was alright.

 

“Question is who’s gonna snap their freaking fingers,” Rocket muttered.

 

“I think Hulk and I can do it,” Bruce said as they all looked over at him. “The radiation from the stones is mostly Gamma. If we work together, Hulk and I can do it.”

 

“That’s a very big if Dr. Banner,” Bobbi pointed out.

 

“It has to be me,” Thor said suddenly and they all looked over at him. “I am the strongest Avenger. It has to be me.”

 

“Thor, are you sure about this?” Steve asked wearily.

 

“Cap’s right, this thing is channeling enough energy to light up a continent,” Tony added.

 

“All the more reason for me to do it. I’m the one least likely to die trying,” Thor said as he walked over to the gauntlet. “I understand your concerns but I have to do this. It has to be me; I can feel it in my bones.”

 

“Are you sure about this?” Steve repeated, looking Thor in the eye.

 

“I am,” Thor said with a nod.

 

“Okay. Let’s do this,” Steve ordered.

 

“Remember, you’re just bringing back everyone Thanos snapped away, nothing else,” Tony warned him.

 

Thor understood Tony and Steve’s concern, given his reaction to Coulson’s death. In truth, there were many people Thor would like to bring back. His father. His mother. Loki. Heimdall. So many others. A few years ago, when he was a selfish, brash price, he would not have hesitated to use the stones to bring them back, regardless of the consequences. But he was no longer that prince. He was a king now, a hero. An Avenger. He understood some things happened for a reason, because fate wanted them to happen. So he would respect fate’s will, no matter how much it hurt him.

 

“Let’s do this,” Thor said and Tony nodded as Thor readied himself.

 

Then, they were ready. Tony, Scott, and Rhodey got in their suits as Bruce, Barry, and Freya stood in front of Mack, Fitz, Bobbi, Rocket, Matt, and Frank, those most likely to be unable to handle the radiation. Steve, Fury, Caitlin, and Natasha stood near Tony and Rhodey, just waiting.

 

“FRIDAY, engage Barn Door Protocol,” Tony ordered.

 

“You got it Boss,” FRIDAY said as the base was put on lockdown, the windows, walls, and everything blocked out by steel doors.

 

With a deep breath, Thor reached his right hand inside the gauntlet. As he lifted his arm up, the gauntlet on, he was struck by the energy. He understood why Thanos had been strained at first, it was almost more than Thor could bear. As they saw the energy covering Thor’s body and heard him groan, The Avengers were concerned.

 

“Thor, you okay?” Rocket called out concerned.

 

“I am fine Rabbit,” Thor grunted, lifting his fingers.

 

Using all his will, with a roar, Thor snapped his fingers and the stones flashed as Thor used their power.

 

_The next thing Thor was aware of, he was in the throne room at Asgard. Which made no sense, as Asgard had been destroyed. He wasn’t alone either. There was a woman there, with her back to him. As she turned to face him, Thor couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped him._

_“Mother?”_

_“Hello my son,” Frigga said as she smiled warmly at him. “I’ve missed you.”_

_“And I you. I wish I could speak to you every day,” Thor said, his voice cracking with emotion as he stared at her. “How are we here?”_

_“Using the stones, it causes one to have a vision. The Soul Stone brought your mind here, as it brought Thanos when he used them. It brought you to the person you most wanted to see when you sued the stones,” Frigga explained. “I am proud of you Thor, for all that you have done. Your father is proud of you to.”_

_“I can’t be like him mom. I can’t rule as he did,” Thor confessed, not sure why he felt compelled to say it._

_“I know and so does he,” Frigga said soothingly as she walked over to him, putting a hand on the side of his face. “You are different than him, but that isn’t a bad thing. You can be better. A better king, a better man. Your father is proud of you and he will always be. Be who you are, not who everyone expects you to be.”_

Thor cried out as he fell to his knees, pain searing through his arm as he yanked the gauntlet off. It landed on the other side of the room as everyone rushed to him.

 

“Hey, you okay?” Natasha asked concerned as they saw the radiation burn on his arm.

 

 “Hold still Thor,” Caitlin said as her eyes flashed blue and she quickly froze her injured arm.

 

“Did-did it work?” Thor asked as he breathed heavily, trying to put his jumbled thoughts together.

 

No one had an answer as the steel doors opened. Scott looked up as he heard the sounds of birds chipping outside and Bobbi’s phone rang. She pulled it out and her heart stopped as she saw Hunter’s face on the screen. She stood up, staring at it as everyone looked up at her before she answered.

 

“H-Hunter?” Bobbi stammered as she answered, hoping this wasn’t a cruel tick.

 

“Bobbi? Where are you?” Hunter asked as Bobbi put a hand to her mouth, sobbing. “Bob? Are you okay?”

 

“It worked,” Scott said with a relieved grin.

 

There were laughs as they all looked around, feeling victorious, feeling overjoyed. Then, they heard the roar of thunder. They looked up at the glass ceiling as the biggest lightning blast any of them had ever seen crashed through the ceiling and struck the floor, causing an explosion that threw them all back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the man who gave Clint the helmet is Stan Lee. When I was coming up with how Clint got the helmet, I thought that would be a great way to slip in a Stan Lee cameo as a tribute to the man who gave us so much. RIP Stan Lee.
> 
> So, why did I have Thor use the stones instead of Bruce? A couple reasons. First, I think Thor at the end of IW would definitely have been capable of using them but they nerfed him so much in Endgame he wasn’t capable of it. Second, I really wanted to do that scene with Frigga. Finally, since Thor ultimately failed to stop Thanos in IW, I thought it would be fitting to have him be the one to bring everyone back. 
> 
> For why I did the vision with Frigga, since Thanos got one in IW, I thought it was pretty stupid how neither Bruce or Tony experienced a vision while using the stones. Yeah, Bruce’s vision probably wouldn’t have been that interesting, but Tony’s? Come on man.


	19. Facing the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers must face their past in order to stop Thanos from emerging victorious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the final battle will be split into two chapters then an epilogue, so we’ll probably round this out at 21 chapters unless something happens. The final battle will have some similarities to what happened in Endgame, but I will also be doing my own spin on it. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Avengers Compound

Afternoon

 

Barry groaned as he felt someone tapping his cheek. Barry then yelped, his eyes snapping open as he felt the person slap him.

 

“Oh thank god,” Caitlin said relived as she helped him sit up. “Are you okay?”

 

“Besides you slapping me? Why do you always need to slap me awake?” Barry grumbled as he looked around at the rumble around them. “What happened?”

 

“We got hit by the biggest lightning blast in the history of the world, followed by a bunch of smaller lightning blasts,” Tony said as he picked up Steve’s shield.

 

As Barry and Caitlin stood up, Barry assessed his surroundings. They were in the rubble of what had once been The Compound, that was for sure. Bruce helped Natasha to her feet, who seemed a little dazed but otherwise unhurt. Thor, holding his injured arm, was standing at an opening in the rubble, a grim look on his face. Tony walked over to an unconscious Steve and knelt down, trying to shake him awake.

 

“Come on buddy, wake up,” Tony said almost desperately and Steve’s eyes snapped open, his mouth opening as he let out a breath. “That’s my man. You lose this again; I’m keeping it.”

 

“What happened?” Steve said as Tony helped him up.

 

“If I had to guess, Thawne or Thanos, maybe both,” Barry said as Steve accepted the shield from Tony.

 

“My friends,” Thor called out and the sic of them looked over at him. “We have a problem.”

 

Down below, in the rubble of the Compound, Mack had been knocked unconscious, but was dimply aware of someone calling his name. Mack opened his eyes, seeing Rocket pinned under some debris.

 

“Let me out let me out let me out!” Rocket said in full blown panic as Mack stood up.

 

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Mack said as he walked over, seeing his Shotgun Axe on the ground.

 

Mack picked it up and used it as a lift, lifting the debris off Rocket. Rocket quickly ran out from under it and Mack let go, causing the debris to fall again. It was then that they heard a loud noise. They whirled around as something gave and water came rushing through. Before either could do anything, they were caught up in the current.

 

“Mayday, mayday, does anybody copy?! The lower level is flooding!”

 

In another part of the rubble, Scott pulled himself out as he heard Mack’s distress call.

 

“We are drowning! Does anyone copy!?” Mack shouted.

 

“I do, I’m here,” Scott said as he tapped the Comms piece in his suit. “I’m on my way.”

 

Elsewhere under the rubble, Bobbi helped Fitz to his feet.

 

“Easy Fitz, we took a big fall,” Bobbi said gently.

 

“Story of my life,” Fitz chuckled as he got to his feet. “Thanks, I can manage.”

 

As they began walking down what resembled a tunnel, Fitz spotted something. Kneeling down, he picked up his gauntlet all six Infinity Stones still there.

 

“Oh Leopold.”

 

The sound of the voice made Fitz jump, his heart hammering in his chest as he paled. Bobbi was confused, not recognizing the voice. But Fitz did, and it was a voice he never wanted to hear again.

 

“We need to go Bobbi, now,” Fitz hissed and Bobbi was confused even more.

 

“Fitz, what’s going on?” Bobbi asked.

 

“If that’s who I think it is, we are all dead. And she cannot get her hands on the stones. Come on!” Fitz snarled, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the tunnel.

 

Up above the rubble, standing on had once been The Compound, Bruce, Natasha, Tony, Steve, Thor, Barry, and Caitlin stood shoulder to shoulder, staring down at what had once been the front yard of The Compound. As Barry predicted, it was Thawne and Thanos, who had been armed with a robotic arm, gold in designed and looked to have slots exactly like the gauntlet. But they had not come alone.

 

“Loki,” Thor said as he stared at his smirking brother, who wielded knives.

 

“How is this possible? I thought Loki was dead,” Bruce said confused.

 

“He is,” Barry said and they all looked over at him. “It’s a time remnant. Thawne had Joe steal him some tachyons from Star Labs. Thawne used it to go back in time and get Loki from another time to come here.”

 

“Which explains why Zoom is here,” Caitlin said, glaring at her former boyfriend, standing next to Thawne.

 

“Okay, who is the lady with the weird headpiece and how can she lift Thor’s hammer?” Tony asked as Hela smirked, twirling Mjolnir.

 

“My sister, Hela,” Thor said and everyone looked at him in shock. “Long story. She’s the goddess of death, she is extremely dangerous. Although, with Asgard gone, she will be far less powerful.”

 

“Which is probably why Thawne gave her your hammer,” Steve mused and Thor nodded in agreement.

 

“Not all of them are remnants. Like Blonsky,” Bruce said as he stared at the green humanoid that seemed to resemble Hulk in certain ways.

 

“Who is he?” Barry asked.

 

“He used a mutated version of the same process that created the Hulk,” Natasha said and Bruce looked at her sharply. “I was there in Harlem.”

 

“Bruce is right, they’re not all time remnants,” Caitlin said as she stared sadly at a man covered in ice.

 

“Cait, who is that?” Steve asked as Barry put a hand on her shoulder.

 

“My dad,” Caitlin said, shocking The Avengers. “At least it used to be. He’s been taken over by a psychopath who calls himself Icicle. He has the same powers as Killer Frost.”

 

“And I thought I had daddy issues,” Tony joked and everyone turned to glare at him. “Okay, that was crossing a line. Sorry.”

 

“It’s not like you’re wrong,” Caitlin sighed.

 

“Are you up for this Cait?” Barry asked concerned.

 

“I have to be,” Caitlin said a steely looked entering her eyes.

 

Barry eyed her before nodding. He wasn’t sure he believed her but in the end, he guessed it didn’t matter. She was still going to have to fight.

 

“Malcolm Merlyn, he was trained by Ra’s al Ghul, leader of a group of dangerous assassins,” Barry noted as he saw the man. “Probably not a time remnant.”

 

“Sara told us he worked with Thawne before, so probably not,” Caitlin agreed as she saw a huge gorilla. “Grodd. He’s a gorilla with genius level intellect.”

 

“Like a gorilla with my brain?” Tony joked.

 

“No, smarter,” Barry said, stunning them all. “He has telepathic powers; he can attack your mind and even take control of your body. Don’t let your guard down for a second with him.”

 

“Good to know. And the guy who really needs a haircut?” Tony asked as he gestured to a man with dark hair stretching passed his shoulders and a beard.

 

“Vandal Savage, an immortal warlord set on world conquest. He knows every style of fighting known to man and how to use every weapon imaginable,” Barry warned and it was quiet for a moment.

 

“What have they been doing?” Tony asked.

 

“Absolutely nothing,” Thor said bluntly.

 

“Where are the stones?” Steve asked concerned Thanos may get his hands on them again.

 

“Somewhere under all this, along with all our friends,” Natasha said and it was quiet for a moment, all of them worrying for the rest of their team.

 

“They’ll have to take care of each other for now. Thanos doesn’t have the stones, we have to keep it that way,” Tony said in a voice that left no room for argument, not that anyone disagreed.

 

“We know it’s a trap right?” Thor asked.

 

“Of course it’s a trap,” Bruce said.

 

“I don’t really care,” Barry said his eyes on Thawne and Zoom from behind his cowl.

 

“Just so we’re all in agreement,” Thor said, holding out his injured arm.

 

After a moment, there was the sound of lightning before Stormbreaker flew into Thor’s hand. Lightning flashed in Thor’s eyes as the burn on his arm faded away.

 

“Let’s kill him,” Thor sneered.

 

“All of them,” Barry agreed as he glared at his parents’ killers.

 

Caitlin sighed as her hair turned white and her eyes turned blue.

 

“Let’s do this boys and girl,” Killer Frost said as she stared at Icicle.

 

Natasha pulled up a her electric batons and tossed Barry his sword. Barry caught it, nodding his thanks as they made their way down. Bruce waited before jumping into the air and landing as Hulk, who unleashed a mighty roar.

 

“Well, that was dramatic,” Loki said as the seven heroes reached them.

 

“I do not wish to fight you brother, but I will if I have to,” Thor said, his eyes sad but his face resolute.

 

“Brother against brother. How very American,” Savage drawled as he looked between Loki and Thor.

 

“Where are the stones?” Thanos demanded.

 

“Somewhere you’re not getting them,” Steve said as he clenched his shield tightly.

 

“One way or another, we’ll be getting those stones,” Malcolm said with a smirk.

 

“You know Merlyn, I’m surprised at you,” Barry said as he stared across at Malcolm. “I mean, I get Zoom, he’s a psychopath. And Grodd is basically Thawne’s lapdog.”

 

“Grodd is no one’s lapdog!” Grodd roared but was ignored.

 

“But you? I always knew you were power hungry and crazy, but teaming up with Thanos? Doesn’t seem your style,” Barry noted.

 

“Whatever Thanos is doing has no interest to me. There is only one thing I care about in this life anymore: Taking from Oliver Queen all that he took from me. My son, my daughter, my vision for a better city, the League, everything. And I’m going to start with you and your little friends Barry Allen,” Malcolm said maliciously.

 

“You’ll try,” Natasha said, whirling her electric batons.

 

“Hello Caitlin,” Zoom said in his monstrous voice.

 

“Hunter,” Frost said disinterestedly before turning to Icicle.

 

“Hello daughter,” Icicle said and Frost sneered.

 

“I am not your daughter,” she hissed.

 

“You’re right. You’re a mistake, one that I will be glad to correct,” he snarled back, both their hands starting to give off an icy mist.

 

“I’m thankful to all of you. Now, I know what I must do,” Thanos said as they all turned to him. “I will shred this universe down to its last atom. Then, using the stones, create a new one, teaming with life that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe.”

 

“Born out of blood,” Steve said disgusted as Thanos picked up his double edged sword.

 

“They’ll never know…because you won’t be alive to tell them,” Thanos said.

 

Then, it was on. Frost and Icicle shot beams of ice at each other as Barry began engaging Thawne and Zoom, trying to get them with his sword to no avail. Thor roared as he began to fight Loki, Hela, and Savage while Hulk began to wrestle with Blonsky and Grodd. Natasha used his electric batons to block Malcolm’s sword before pushing back as Steve threw his shield at Thanos and Tony fired a yellow beam at the mad Titan.

 

In the remains of the Compound, Scott, shrunken down, was swimming through the water towards Mack and Rocket, desperately trying to reach them.

 

In the tunnels, Fitz was dragging Bobbi along as they ran.

 

“Fitz, what is going on? Who is that who called out to you?” Bobbi asked bewildered.

 

“We have to get away, she can’t be stopped!” Fitz shouted, only confusing her more.

 

Suddenly, a blue flashed appeared in front of them and they stopped, Bobbi’s eyes widening in recognition and Fitz paling. When it faded, a dark haired woman stood in front of them, blocking their path.

 

 “Hello Leopold,” AIDA greeted him coolly.

 

“This isn’t possible, you’re dead,” Fitz said and Bobbi noticed he was trembling in fear as he clenched the gauntlet to him.

 

“So I’ve heard. Give me the stones,” AIDA demanded.

 

“Why do you want them?” Fitz demanded as he took a few steps back.

 

“So I can tear this universe down. I’m going to make you watch, so you can know that it was all your fault,” AIDA snarled as she took a few steps towards him. “Then, once you see your precious Jemma die with the rest of the universe, I will ripe out your heart.”

 

Shots suddenly rang out and AIDA stepped back, shocked as blood began pouring out of her. Fitz and Bobbi whirled around to see Fury aiming a gun at her.

 

“Who the hell is this?” Fury demanded.

 

“We don’t have time, we need to go!” Fitz shouted, grabbing Bobbi’s hand and beginning to run down the tunnel away from AIDA.

 

However, AIDA shook it off, holding up her hand. Fitz and Bobbi hit the ground and Fury ducked out of the way.

 

“She has Gordon and Lincoln’s powers?!” Bobbi shouted in surprise.

 

“She has the powers of over twenty Inhumans!” Fitz shouted.

 

Suddenly, there was swoosh and Fitz blinked as the gauntlet was gone. Heart hammering in his chest, he looked over his shoulder to see AIDA now had the gauntlet.

 

“Including Yo-Yo’s powers,” AIDA said mockingly. “You’ve lost Leopold.”

 

Suddenly, to AIDA’s shock, the gauntlet flashed red and was yanked out of her arms. Fitz, Bobbi, and Fury stood up as it flew over to Fitz, who caught it.

 

“Not yet we haven’t,” Freya said as she walked into view, standing in front of the others, her hands glowing red. “Get the stones out of here, I’ll deal with her.”

 

“Freya, she can’t be stopped!” Fitz tried to reason with her.

 

“She hasn’t faced me yet,” Freya said, staring stonily at AIDA. “Go!”

 

After a moment of hesitation, Fitz, Bobbi and Fury ran back the way they came. Snarling in rage, AIDA shot electricity out of her hands, which Freya countered with a wave of red energy. 

 

Down the tunnels, Fitz, Bobbi, and Fury were running when a dark haired man wearing a brown leather jacket walked into view. They stopped as he aimed a pistol at them. Fitz and Bobbi glared at him as Fury regarded him coolly.

 

“Hey Fitz,” Grant Ward greeted. “I’m gonna need those stones.”

 

“So now you’re Thanos’ bitch Ward?” Bobbi mocked and Ward smirked.

 

“As long as he helps me burn SHIELD to the ground, he can do whatever he wants with the stones,” Ward said, aiming at Fitz. “Hand them over Fitz.”

 

“You’ll have to kill me first. If you can,” Fitz mocked.

 

Before Ward could do or say anything, a Billy Club came flying out, hitting the gun and knocking it out of his hand. Ward looked up as Matt jumped down, slugging him, hard. They two then began exchanging blows, Ward surprised at how Matt was able to keep up with him.

 

“You want those stones, you’ll have to go through me first,” Matt snarled as he punched Ward.

 

“With pleasure,” Ward said as he aimed a fist at Matt’s head.

 

Matt dodged the strike and punched him, throwing him into a wall. A shot rang out and Ward was hit in the chest. He jolted as several more shots were fired, killing him. Everyone looked over as Frank, armed with a smoking rifle, Nebula, and Rhodey walked into view.

 

“Friend of yours?” Rhodey asked as Ward slid down the wall, bleeding out.

 

“No,” Fitz said stonily, glaring as the life left Ward’s eyes.

 

Outside, Tony fired missiles at Thanos, who deflected with his sword. They landed behind him and exploded harmlessly as Tony shot off a beam which missed Thanos by a wide margin. Thanos was confused until Steve used his shield to send the blast back at Thanos. Thanos whirled around, whirling his sword to make the blast useless.

 

Hela used Mjolnir to strike Thor was lightning but, being the god of Thunder, this barely fazed him. Thor roared as Savage engaged him, kicking the warlord back before grabbing him and throwing him into some debris. He whirled around and faced Loki. Thor hesitated, faltering for only a moment, but it was the only moment Hela needed. She threw Mjolnir and Thor was a half a second too late to dodge it. It struck him in the face and he went down, Stormbreaker falling from his hand. Hela, Loki, and Savage moved towards Thor, none of them noticing Loki’s brief look of indecision.

 

Malcolm and Natasha continued training blows, Natasha continuously blocking his sword with her electric batons. Malcolm whirled, attempting to strike her with his sword but Natasha ducked before kicking him in the abdomen. He went down before quickly getting back up.

 

“I’m impressed. You are a strong warrior. But you won’t win!” Malcolm snarled before he rushed towards her. 

 

Hulk was thrown into some debris, becoming momentarily dazed from the blow.

 

 _“Come on, get up you pig pussy!”_ Bruce shouted at him as Blonsky and Grodd approached them.

 

“Looks like you’re not the strongest after all,” Blonsky mocked. “You’re weak.”

 

Angered at this, Hulk got up with an angry roar. Grodd tried to take control but was surprised that there was already another mind inside Hulk’s body. Hulk roared as Grodd found himself blocked out.

 

 _“Yeah, that’s right you overgrown ape, there’s already two minds in this body! Let’s show him what we’re made of!”_ Bruce shouted.

 

Hulk roared in agreement before he reentered the fight. Blonsky tried to hit him with a piece of metal but Hulk dodged, grabbing onto it before punching Blonsky. Hulk then used all his strength and threw Blonsky into Grodd. The two fell to the ground as Hulk roared.

 

Barry, Thawne, and Zoom were speeding around the battlefield, Zoom and Thawne dodging Barry’s sword strikes. Suddenly, Zoom made a movement with his vibrating hand and Barry saw half his sword drop to the ground, broken in two. Angrily, Barry threw the remains of his sword to the ground as he turned to face the killers of his parents.

 

“Let’s see how good you are without your toy,” Zoom mocked and Barry smirked.

 

“I don’t need a weapon to take you guys. I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Barry sneered as he glared at them.

 

“So have I Barry, so have I. All the times you’ve failed to kill me and I only need to kill you one time,” Thawne said gleefully.

 

“Then stop talking about it and actually do it,” Barry said, getting into a stance Steve had taught him when he first started training him. “I’m not the same kid who needed Eddie to save him from you.”

 

“I know. You’ve become the man I fought so many times before, the man I hate. Which will make this all the more satisfying!” Thawne snarled before he and Zoom rushed Barry.

 

On his knees, Thor reached for Stormbreaker but Savage stepped on it, stopping the weapon.

 

“Not this time brother,” Hela said with a smirk before looking over at Loki. “Considering your history, I feel the honor of the killing blow should go to you.”

 

Loki drew his blades, stepping up to Thor. However, perhaps it was his imagination, but Thor thought he saw a flicker of doubt enter his brother’s eyes.

 

“Loki, please,” Thor said pleadingly.

 

“In the future…what happens to me?” Loki asked, surprising his allies.

 

“You die. Thanos crushes your throat when he massacres half our people,” Thor said, hoping to turn Loki against Thanos.

 

“And…what becomes of us?” Loki inquired, causing Hela to frown in suspicion as Thor laughed.

 

“You betray me. Several times. But, eventually, we become allies. You become my brother again,” Thor said his voice thick with emotion.

 

“Enough of this,” Savage said, out of patience. “If you won’t kill him-”

 

Loki then whirled around, sending a blade to Savage. Savage dodged but this freed Stormbreaker. Thor summoned his weapon to his hand, charging it, before throwing it at Hela. She dodged it and the weapon returned to Thor before the blood children of Odin rushed each other, their weapons meeting in a clash of lighting.

 

Meanwhile, Loki and Savage exchanged blows, each wielding daggers.

 

“You will pay for betraying us!” Savage snarled.

 

“Perhaps, but my brother, for all idiotic nobility, seems far less insane than my sister, Thanos, and well, all of you. And, I am mischief,” Loki suddenly smirked.

 

To Savage’s shock, Loki suddenly vanished before Savage was stabbed from behind.

 

“For an immortal warlord, you are very easy to fool,” Loki said amused.

 

Hela was thrown back, her lightning powers inferior to Thor’s. Thor then threw Stormbreaker, which made Hela again go for the clash of weapons. However, Thor had anticipated this, and instead Stormbreaker cut into her flesh. Hela screamed as her hand fell, Mjolnir falling a few feet away. Thor then raised his hand and Stormbreaker returned to him. Thor then raised his other hand and Mjolnir flew into it.

 

“You see sister; you’ve spent so long alone you’re just a shell of rage and anger. You’re still stuck in this mindset of ‘father cast me out’. I get it but, at some point, grow up, move on,” Thor said and Hela shimmered with rage. “Life’s about growth, change. You just can’t let go of the past. It’s why you failed.”

 

Hela glared at him for a moment before the fight left her and she fell to her knees, looking every bit the broken shell Thor had described.

 

“Do it. End it,” Hela said as she looked up at him.

 

“No,” Thor said, surprising her. “You’re still my sister. Perhaps, in time, you will find peace. For now, I have a battle to win.”

 

Thor then rushed off, leaving Hela behind to seethe.

 

Thanos threw his sword at Tony, who ducked to dodge, firing a yellow bam at Thanos. Thanos used his robotic arm; which seemed to absorb it as the sword came back, like a boomerang.

 

“Tony duck!” Steve called out in warning.

 

Tony did so, narrowly avoiding the sword as it returned to him. Tony flew towards Thanos as Thor charged in, his two weapons charged. Thor used Stormbreaker to give Mjolnir a jump start. As the hammer flew towards him, Thanos grabbed Tony, using him as shield and the hammer hit Tony in the helmet. He went flying and hit a pile of debris, out cold.

 

Engaged, Thor and Steve rushed forward. Steve aimed a kick at Thanos’ head but Thanos grabbed him and tossed the super soldier aside before using his sword to block Stormbreaker. Thanos, with his robotic arm, grabbed Thor by his neck and threw him into some debris.

 

“So much for the mighty son of Odin,” Thanos mocked.

 

Snarling in rage, Thor rushed back in.

 

Barry was exchanging blows with Thawne when Zoom struck him in the face. This dazed him enough that Thawne was able to grab him and throw him into some debris. Zoom then shrew a lightning bolt at him, which him Barry in the chest. Barry cried out in pain as Thawne then sped in, punching Barry several times.

 

“Against the two of us, you can’t win,” Thawne said gleefully, pulling the weakened Barry up and forcing him on his knees.

 

“Then why don’t you just end it,” Barry sneered, not wanting to give Thawne or Zoom the satisfaction.

 

“We don’t want you to miss the best part,” Zoom said, looking up into the sky.

 

Barry followed his gaze, seeing Frost and Icicle were up there, building ice bridges as they fired at each other. Frost fired an ice blast, which hit the bridge icicle was on. For a moment, it appeared she was victorious.

 

Then, Icicle emerged from the mists, throwing an ice dagger at her. Taken by surprise, Frost was hit in the shoulder and fell off the bridge, to Barry’s horror.

 

“No!” Barry cried out.

 

Frost landed hard on her back, reverting to Caitlin, hurt but alive. Icicle jumped down and began to stalk towards her.

 

“And now comes the best part. Before I kill you, I want you to see your best friend die,” Thawne said gleefully as he and Zoom restrained Barry.

 

“Jay, please! I know you care about her!” Barry pleaded as he looked at Zoom.

 

“She betrayed me. For that, she will die,” Zoom said coldly.

 

Barry watched in horror as Icicle reached Caitlin, kneeling down and yanking the bloodied ice dagger out of her. 

 

“I wanted you to be perfect. Now, I have to erase you,” Icicle said.

 

“No, please, don’t!” Barry begged, trying to find a way, any way, to save Caitlin.

 

Suddenly, unseen to anyone else, Mjolnir slowly started to rise off the ground.

 

“Goodbye, daughter,” Icicle said as he prepared to deliver the killing blow.

 

“No!” Barry shouted as Caitlin closed her eyes.

 

Suddenly, Mjolnir flew in, striking Icicle in the head. Caitlin’s eyes snapped open as he went flying, hitting some debris, out cold. The magical hammer then hit Thawne and Zoom before flying into the stunned Barry’s hands. He gasped as he felt the power rush through him.

 

Nearby, Loki stared stunned at the scene

 

“He’s worthy?’ Loki asked in shock.

 

As Thawne and Zoom stood up, Barry, with the power of a god rushing through him, turned and sent lightning at them. The two speedster were hit and cried out as Barry sped in, striking both of them with the hammer. They were sent flying before Barry sped over to Caitlin.

 

“Cait, Cait are you okay?” Barry asked in concern.

 

“I’m fine, I heal fast remember,” Caitlin said as she stared at the hammer in his hand. “Is that…”

 

“Yeah,” Barry said as he followed his gaze. “Apparently I’m worthy of the power of Thor.”

 

“Then go end this. I’ll be fine,” Caitlin promised.

 

After a moment, Barry nodded and stood up. Thanos was still fighting Thor, and was unfortunately winning. Thanos had somehow managed to get Stormbreaker from Thor and was trying to stab Thor in the chest with it. The Asgardian was managing to stop him, just barely, but it wasn’t looking good. Barry sped over, his eyes flashing with the power of a god, and brought the hammer down on Thanos. Thanos went flying as Barry landed on his feet. As Thanos hit a wall of debris, Thor stared at Mjolnir in Barry’s hand, stunned.

 

“Need a hand?” Barry said, offering his hand and Thor shook himself out of his shock.

 

“Thank you, man of speed,” Thor said, grabbing Stormbreaker and accepting Barry’s hand.

 

“I hear this is yours,” Barry said, offering Mjolnir to Thor but the Asgardian shook his head.

 

“It has deemed you worthy. It is yours in this fight,” Thor declined, leaving Barry feeling humbled and shocked.

 

“Wow, thanks. Feel up to a little tag team?” Barry grinned as Thor smirked.

 

As Thanos grabbed his sword off the ground, Barry sped in, striking him across the chin with Mjolnir. The blow sent Thanos flying into the air before falling on his back. Thanos grabbed his sword as Thor threw Stormbreaker, using the blade to bounce the weapon back to its owner. Thor caught it and Barry then used Mjolnir to summon lightning, which he directed towards Thanos. Thanos cried out as he was electrocuted and Thor rushed in. Thor made a swing for the head, but Thanos, ignoring the pain of the electricity coursing through his body, grabbed Stormbreaker, stopping it inches from his neck, to Barry and Thor’s shock.

 

Thanos then head butted Thor before punching him. Thanos threw Thor into some debris as Barry sped in. Barry tried to strike Thanos with Mjolnir but Thanos grabbed Barry by the neck and slammed him onto the ground. Barry lost his grip on Mjolnir and Thanos punched him before throwing Barry into some debris. Thanos picked up his sword and began to move towards Barry when Steve’s shield hit him in the head. Steve’s shield returned to him and Thanos growled as he moved towards Steve.

 

Seeing this, Thor moved to get up but Loki was there, pushing him down.

 

“Stay down brother. I fear this is one fight you and your friends may not win,” Loki said grimly.

 

Thanos brought his sword down on Steve’s shield, which barely held up.  However, Thanos brought it up and back down on Steve’s shield a few more times, using it as a hammer, and Steve’s seemingly unbreakable shield broke in two. Steve was sent down on his side and Thanos kicked him in the stomach. Steve grunted as he was thrown back several feet. He landed on his back, painfully. He wanted so much to give up, to stop fighting. But he couldn’t do that, the fate of the universe was counting on him. So, with a grunt, Steve stood back up. Or rather tried to, falling to his knees in the attempt.

 

“In all my years of conquest and violence, slaughter, it was never personal. But I’ll tell you now, what I’m about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet...I’m going to enjoy it, very, very much,” Thanos said as Steve looked up at him.

 

There was a flash and Steve looked up. More people had arrived. Thawne was with them, a second Thawne. More time remnants, Steve realized with dread. He recognized some, like the three aliens that had arrived n Wakanda, leading Thanos’ army, as well as one he recognized from the news reports in New York. But most were complete strangers to him.

 

“So this is the future. I’m not impressed,” Damien Darhk mused as he looked around.

 

Steve looked around, assessing the situation. Barry, Thor, and Tony were down for the count. Caitlin was injured. Natasha was preoccupied, not only with Malcolm, but Savage as well. And Hulk was still busy with Blonsky and Grodd. He saw Zoom, Thawne, and Icicle getting up as well, ready to continue the fight.

 

 He was the last line of defense between Thanos and the stones, not to mention the earth. Steve got up, tightening his hand around the remains of the shield. He was walking towards Thanos and the army of time remnants when-

 

“Cap?” Steve froze as he heard a familiar voice on the Comms. “Cap, it’s Sam, do you read me?”

 

With a shaking hand, Steve tapped the comms piece in his helmet.

 

“Sam?” Steve said breathlessly.

 

“On your left.”

 

Hearing something behind him, Steve turned around to see a golden portal open up. T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye exited it. T’Challa retracted his helmet as everyone stopped to stare. Sam then flew out of the portal as more portals opened up.

 

Doctor Strange exited one with Peter Quill, Drax, Mantis, and Peter Parker.

 

Out of another came Melinda May, Daisy Johnson, and Elena Rodriguez.

 

Out of another came Lance Hunter and Hope Van Dyne.

 

From another, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Danny Rand emerged.

 

From another, Sif, Valkyrie, Korg, Miek, and the surviving Asgardians emerged.

 

From another, Oliver Queen, Laurel Lance, Roy Harper, and Logan emerged.

 

From another, Sara Lance, Ray Palmer, Mick Rory and Firestorm emerged. 

 

From another, Fate emerged leading Supergirl and J’onn J’onzz out.

 

As Wakandian soldiers and the Masters of the Mystic Arts exited the portals as well, a Breach opened up and Cisco exited, followed by Wanda, Bucky, and Groot.

 

“I think you’re a bit outnumbered,” Natasha said with a breathless look on her face, grinning at the uncomfortable looks on Malcolm and Savage’s faces.

 

Hulk roared in celebration as Tony and Barry came to, seeing everyone who had arrived. Caitlin laughed, out of exhilaration, exhaustion, or relief, she wasn’t sure. But it was clear the tide was turning. And Thanos knew it, by the look on his face.

 

“Is that everyone?” Strange asked as he looked over at Wong.

 

“You wanted more?” Wong asked sarcastically.

 

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound as Scott, in his Giant-Man form, broke through the rubble. He opened his palm as Mack and Rocket emerged, Rocket with his Ion Cannon and Mack with his Shotgun Axe, as Scott lowered them to the ground.

 

There was a blue flash as AIDA and Freya arrived, landing on the ground. As they stood up, they looked around in awe, Freya pausing as, for the first time she could remember, she saw her mother, who looked at her curiously.

 

Then, there was an explosion from the rubble. Rhodey flew out, landing on the ground as Fitz, Bobbi, Fury, Nebula, Matt, and Frank all followed him out, stopping and looking around in awe.

 

“It worked, it really worked,” Fitz said with a relieved smile as he saw his friends, who all smiled joyously as they saw him.

 

Fate waved his hand and the half of Steve’s shield on the ground flew towards the half in Steve’s hand, merging the two once they met, as if it had never been broken at all. Steve nodded in thanks as Thor called Stormbreaker to his hand.

 

“We may just win this one yet brother,” Thor said with a grin as they all stood together.

 

“Avengers!” Everyone was quiet as they heard Steve’s cry. “Assemble.”

 

T’Challa, Quill, and Peter put on their masks as Caitlin returned to Killer Frost as the two sides rushed each other, determined to end the battle for earth once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Thor was healed in IW after being near death once he got Stormbreaker, I think it could heal the burn on his arm. I know the Russos have confirmed Hulk’s injury is permeant, but I honestly think they just want to write Hulk out at this point.
> 
> Now, I’m sure a lot of you have questions about Mjolnir. Originally, it wasn’t even going to be in the chapter. But, with Asgard gone, Hela would be significantly less powerful than she was in Ragnarok, so I needed away to make her a threat. And since she was shown to be able to hold it in Ragnarok, it was a good way to include it.
> 
> As for Barry being worthy, let’s all be honest. If there is any Arrowverse character capable of wielding Mjolnir, it is Barry Allen. In fact, I think Barry might be the only character we can say with absolute certainty is worthy, all the other candidates are more possible or maybes. And I thought it would be an awesome moment to have Barry pick it up.
> 
> As I said in previous chapters, group fight scenes are difficult to write, so I hope I did okay. 
> 
> No, there is a reason I was vague on the second batch of time remnants besides the Children of Thanos and Darhk. I’m taking suggests if there is a certain villain anyone would like to see.
> 
> Now, there are rules to this reviewer submitted poll. First, your suggestion has to be a character that has been confirmed to exist in the Arrowverse, MCU, or previous installments of this series. So characters like The Joker are a no go. Second, I would recommend you not suggest character from Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, as I haven’t seen Luke Cage and Iron Fist and have only seen a few episodes of Jessica Jones. Finally, there are three off limits characters: Slade Wilson, Adrian Chase, and Ultron. I just can’t think of a conceivable reason for any of them to be working with Thanos and Thawne.
> 
> So, anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.


	20. The battle of Earth-66

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes of the multiverse battle Thanos and enemies from their past as they fight to save the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are. One more to go after this. 
> 
> There were a lot of great suggestions, so I’d like to thank everyone for their help on this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

On the grounds of the destroyed Avengers Compound, there was absolute chaos as the battle for earth raged. Surtur swung his flaming sword but Scott managed to catch it, surprising the fire giant as Scott managed to hold him back. 

“You want to get to them, you gotta go through me,” Scott said before he punched the giant.

Down on the ground, Thor and Loki fought side by side as they engaged in battle against Frost Giants.

“It’s just like old times brother!” Thor said energetically as he threw Stormbreaker.

“You and I remember old times very differently!” Loki shouted as he whirled his daggers, cutting a Frost Giant in the shoulder.

Natasha dodged a flying disk before whirling her electric batons, bringing them up to block Alexei’s knife.

“I’ve waited a very long time for this Natalia,” Alexei sneered as she pushed him back and he jumped back a foot. “Since you and Barton left me to rot at Argus.”

“Let me play you a violin as you tell me how betrayed you feel,” Natasha said sarcastically as she whirled her batons and they rushed each other.

The two Thawnes and Zoom sped around the battlefield as Tony shot repulsor beams at them and Ray fired lasers, but none of them made contact. Vibrating, the two Thawnes merged back into one as Cisco emerged from a breach not far from them.

“Cisco,” Thawne said warmly as he saw him. “It warms my heart to see you again. I want to apologize for,” Thawne made a sharp gesture with his hand and Cisco almost winced. “But had I not done that, you would never have become extraordinary.” 

“I never needed powers for that,” Cisco said before shooting two Vibe Beams at him.

Thawne sped out of the way and towards Cisco, charging up his hand. However, before he could reach Cisco, his entire body flashed red and he was lifted into the sky, where he was hit with one of Tony’s repulsor beams. He went flying as Wanda landed next to Cisco.

“Thanks for the back up,” Cisco said gratefully and she nodded. 

Barry stared down his enemy calmly, who snarled at him.

“To be working with Thawne, you’ve really fallen far,” Barry said disgusted and Venom Flash let out a monstrous laugh.

“Thawne is no more than a means to an end. Once I kill you, I will go back in time to enact my plan of merging the multiverse. And this time, you won’t be able to stop me!” Venom Flash snarled.

With narrowed eyes, Barry held out his hand. Mjolnir soared into it, to Venom Flash’s shock, as Barry’s eyes sparking with the power of Thor. 

“No, you won’t,” Barry said calmly.

He and Venom Flash rushed each other, Venom Flash attempting to strike Barry with his fist but he countered by swinging Mjolnir at him. Venom Flash’s fist met Mjolnir as Barry swung it full force. The result shock wave sent Barry and Venom Flash flying back. Barry landed on his feet, as did Venom Flash. However, Venom Flash’s glove had peeled back to reveal his hand was broken in several places, his fingers bent at impossible angle. To Barry’s shock and disgust, the gloves oozed forward, covering his enemy’s hand and, with several sickening crakes, the hand had been healed.

“Gross,” Barry said disgusted as he lifted Mjolnir up into the sky. 

There was a flash before Venom Flash screamed as he was hit by lightning. Before he could recover, Barry sped over, striking him with Mjolnir and sending him flying. 

“Russo!” Frank shouted as he opened fire on his former best friend. 

“Gonna have to do better than that Frankie!” Russo said, managing to dodge the bullets before opening fire on Frank.

However, before the bullets could reach him, Luke Cage stepped in front of Frank, taking the bullets, which bounced off him harmlessly. Then, Jessica Jones jumped out, punching Russo in the face. Russo went flying, hitting some debris as he landed on his back, hard. He stood up shakily before Frank fired again. Russo jolted as he was hit in the chest. He looked up at Frank as blood seeped into his shirt before he fell on his side, dead as he bled out. 

Matt caught a Billy Club, stopping it inches from his face as he stared shocked at the man in his old Daredevil suit. 

“Dex?” Matt asked shocked. 

“Hey Matt,” Dex said with a smirked.

“Why are you working with Thanos?” Matt demanded and Dex laughed. 

“To be honest, I don’t give a damn about what Thanos wants. I’m just here to kill you. You set me on Fisk, then you tried to stop me and I ended up crippled. Ever since it happened, I’ve only cared about one thing: Killing you. Thawne gave me a new spine so I could do it!” Dex snarled as he threw a Billy Club at him. 

Matt caught it and whirled the two clubs before he and Dex rushed each other

“Daisy,” Hive, in the body of Grant Ward, greeted his former ally stoically. 

Without a word, Daisy used her powers, sending a wave of seismic energy towards him. However, Hive put his arms up, blocking her from sending him flying back. Daisy, getting a flashback to when she fought Hive at the Playground, stopped and the pair rushed each other. They began to exchange blows but Daisy was at a disadvantage as, in addition to possessing all of Ward’s fighting skills, Hive was impervious to pain.

Suddenly, Danny Rand, his fist glowing, jumped out and slugged Hive. Hive was sent flying from the power of the Iron Fist as Daisy and Danny stood together.

“Thanks,” Daisy said gratefully and Danny nodded.

“I’m Danny,” Danny said as he held a hand out to her.

“Daisy, but you probably already knew that,” Daisy said as she took his hand in a hand shake.

Bobbi was whirling her Battle Staves as she blocked Proxima Midnight’s spear. The two began exchanging blows but it quickly became apparent to Bobbi that Midnight was the more skilled warrior. Suddenly, Midnight was hit in the shoulder as someone fired a gun. This distracted her just long enough that Bobbi could strike her with her Shaves. Midnight cried out as she was shocked as Bobbi kicked her in the abdomen, sending her stumbling back. Bobbi then jumped out of the way, her enemy crushed under Scott’s foot. Bobbi turned her head and stopped, staring at her savior.

“So what happened? I think passed out, because I woke up and you were gone. Then this Doctor Strange guy came out of a portal and said you needed my help,” Hunter said as he walked over, concerned when Bobbi didn’t respond, only stared at him silently with an unreadable look on her face. “Bob? Are you okay?”

Bobbi suddenly lunged forward, pulling him into a desperate kiss. Although still confused, Hunter had no complaints as he returned the kiss.

“Hulk...Smash!” Hulk roared as he brought his fists down on the ground, missing Blonsky, who had managed to avoid him.

Snarling in rage, Hulk jumped up and rushed Blonsky. They began exchanging blows before Blonsky grabbed him and threw him into some debris.

“Like I told you before, you don’t deserve this power,” Blonsky said as he approached. “Once I deal with you, I’ll track down your precious Betty.”

Hulk suddenly jumped up, swinging a piece of metal that struck Blonsky on the face. Blonsky fell to his side as Hulk grabbed him.

“You no hurt Betty!” Hulk roared before throwing him into some debris. 

Blonsky got to his feet as Hulk jumped into the before slamming down on Blonsky, slamming his fist into Blonsky’s face. Hulk punched him a few more times before knocking him out. Hulk got off the unmoving Blonsky, roaring in victory before he saw King Shark approach. Roaring, Hulk and King Shark rushed each other, each landing a solid punch in the face.

Alexei knocked Natasha down and tried to send a disk at her when someone shot at him, the bullet knocking the disk out of his hand. Alexei and Natasha looked over to see Bucky aiming a rifle at him.

“Stay away from her,” Bucky said before he fired again.

Frost and Icicle were continuing to shoot ice beams at each other when Icicle was suddenly hit in the head with Steve’s shield. This distracted him enough that Frost was able to hit him in the shoulder with an ice dagger. Icicle went down to his knees as Steve threw the shield back at him. The shield hit him in the chest and he went down, gasping in pain as Frost approached him.

“Daughter, please, help me,” Icicle pleaded as she stared at him coolly.

“My father was Thomas Snow. He died a long time ago,” Frost sneered before she summoned an ice dagger.

She stabbed him through the eye and he stilled as the life left him. Frost closed her eyes as her hair returned to red before Caitlin sunk to her knees, sobbing. Steve walked over and put his arms around her. Caitlin buried her head in his shoulder, her own shoulder shaking as she sobbed.

“Cait?”

Caitlin froze, lifting her head. She turned around to see Cisco standing a few feet from her, looking concerned, Wanda a few feet behind him.

“Cisco,” Caitlin breathed.

Before she could realize what had happened, Caitlin had jumped to her feet and hugged Cisco tightly.

“I’m so glad to see you,” Caitlin said as she pulled back, a tearful smile on her face.

“Yeah, so apparently I died?” Cisco questioned, his mind whirling from that fact. “That’s a lot to take in.”

“You all did,” Steve said as he walked over to Wanda, grabbing her in a brotherly hug. “Good to see you Wanda.”

“You to Steve. I have a question though: Who’s the girl with my jacket?” Wanda asked as she saw Freya send a blast of energy at AIDA. “And how does she have my powers?”

“That is your daughter,” Steve said, to the shock of Wanda and Cisco.

“From twenty three years in the future,” Caitlin added.

As Wanda absorbed this, AIDA sent a blast of lighting at Freya. Freya countered with her energy, absorbing the lightning before she redirected it at AIDA. AIDA disappeared in a flash of blue but Freya sped over as the former LMD appeared a few feet away. AIDA angrily tried to send fire to Freya’s face but Freya, at super speed, deflected it back with her energy wave. However, AIDA dodged it, attempting to strike Freya with a blast of lighting. Freya used her energy to contain it and then, AIDA was lifted up into the air, her body contained by Freya’s energy. AIDA tried to break free but found it impossible, unable to teleport. The energy bubbled, covered her head and Freya moved her hands apart as the energy flashed. Aida cried out and, when it faded, AIDA was gone. 

Wanda watched this, stunned at her daughter’s power.

“Well, looks like she’s as merciless as you in battle,” Cisco said a little unnerved.

“But she seems to have Barry’s heart, from what I’ve seen,” Caitlin noted.

“Speaking of, where is Barry?” Cisco asked, looking around for his friend.

Cisco’s answer came in the form of Barry and Venom Flash crashing a few feet away, creating a small crater. With a snarl, Venom Flash tried to punch Barry but Barry caught his fist with his free hand. Eyes flashing with Thor’s power, Barry swung Mjolnir and Venom Flash cried out as his was hit with lightning. Venom, out of desperation, detached itself from Savitar. As the symbiont began to crawl away on the ground, Barry pushed Savitar to the ground and raised the hammer into the air. With the sound of thunder, lightning struck Venom. In a flash, the only thing that was left of Venom was scorched ash. With Venom dealt with, Barry turned to Savitar.

“Barry, wait-” Savitar pleaded but Barry wasn’t in a merciful mood.

“This is for Pietro, Pepper, and everyone else who died because of you,” Barry snarled before slamming Mjolnir onto his head. 

Savitar stilled, the life leaving him. Barry stood up as Thawne and Zoom suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Really? We’re gonna do this again? Somehow, I don’t think this is gonna end the same as last time,” Barry said as he whirled Mjolnir.

Suddenly, several more Thanwes and Zooms appeared, surrounding Barry as he eyed them wearily.

“Time remnants. Don’t you two have any other tricks?” Barry cracked.

“Why change it when you can’t beat all of us alone?” Zoom snarled.

“Because he’s not alone,” Freya said as she sped up to her father’s side.

A breach then opened up and Cisco, Frost, and Wanda stepped out.

“He’s got us,” Cisco said and Barry smiled, overjoyed at seeing Cisco and Wanda.

“Hey,” Barry said breathlessly as he saw Wanda.

“Hey,” Wanda said with a smile.

“Can’t you two flirt when this is over? We’re kind of fighting for the fate of the universe here,” Cisco complained and Barry smiled.

“Sure buddy. Let’s go,” Barry said before he and Freya sped in and Cisco, Wanda, and Frost each fired a blast at the enemy speedsters.

Among the chaos, Fitz, still holding the gauntlet, was running for his life as Victor Creed pursued him. Creed jumped for Fitz but, with an animalistic roar, Logan jumped over Fitz. Logan sent a kick to Creed’s chest, sending his enemy onto the ground. Logan landed on top of his enemy, popping his claws and stabbing Creed, who howled in pain.

“I still have the stones. What should I do?!” Fitz asked over the Comms.

“Get them as far away as you can get!” Steve granted as he and Tony fought back to back, throwing his shield at Aldrich Killian.

Fitz then ducked as Cull Obsidian was thrown by J’onn into some debris near him.

“That’s gonna be a little difficult!” Fitz shouted.

Oliver and Malcom exchanged blows, Oliver sending a kick to his enemy’s abdomen before punching him as Darhk used his power to suspend Sara, Laurel, and Roy in the air.

“You know, I’ve ready enjoyed our time together, but I grow bored. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted,” Darhk shrugged.

Before Darhk could do anything, he was sent flying back by a blast of gold energy. Sara, Laurel, and Roy were freed as Fate landed in front of them.

“Damien Darhk, Fate has decreed you shall not kill anyone this day,” Fate said before sending another blast at him. 

Killian caught Steve’s shield as Steve threw it at him. He was about to destroy it when he was blasted by a beam of energy. Kilian went down, dropping Steve’s shield, which floated up as Strange landed.

“Thanks,” Steve said as his shield returned to him.

“Hey,” Tony retracted his helmet as he walked over to Strange. “You told me one out of 14 million we win. Tell me this is it.” 

“If I tell you what happens, it won’t happen,” Strange said cryptically, to Tony and Steve’s frustration. 

“You better be right about this,” Steve warned him before the three of them moved back into the battle.

Fitz was running, trying to get away as a man in red armor ran after him. Fitz pulled out an ICER and fired at the man but, to Fitz’s shock, the shots had zero affect.

“You think that’ll hurt me? I’m the Juggernaut Bitch!” The man cried out as he tried to slam his fists down on Fitz.

However, before it could make contact with Fitz, Sif jumped in, stabbing him with her sword. Her double edged Asgardian sword pierced his armor and he went down as she pulled her sword back.

“Agent Fitz,” Sif said as she turned to face the stunned Fitz. “Give it to me.”

Fitz nodded, tossing it over to her. Sif caught it and took off running, whirling her sword. However, her blade was cut in half and she stopped. Thanos’ sword returned to his hand as he began to rush towards her. However, Kara flew down, standing in his way and he stopped.

“Go, I’ve got this,” Kara said and Sif nodded as she continued trying to run.

“Get out of my way Kryptonian,” Thanos said, surprising Kara.

“You know what I am?” Kara asked.

“I do. Get out of my way or you won’t live to regret it,” Thanos vowed.

Narrowing her eyes, Kara flew towards him as he brought his sword down on her.

Meanwhile, Sif was running with the gauntlet when Ebony Maw used his powers to lift the Debris she was on into the air. He began using the Debris around to crush her when Peter swung nearby.

“I’m open!” Peter cried out and Sif threw it to him.

Zoom cried out as Frost blasted him with ice while Cisco, Wanda, and Freya each gave one of the Remnants a blast of their own. Meanwhile, Barry and Thawne were exchanging blows, Thawne just barely dodging Barry’s strikes with Mjolnir.

“Can’t beat me without your toy?” Thawne mocked.

With a raised eyebrow, Barry dropped Mjolnir to the ground and the two rushed each other, exchanging blows at high speed. 

Thanos tried to bring his sword down on Kara but, to his shock, she caught it by grabbing hold of it. Kara yanked on it and, with a snap; half of it was broken off. Kara tossed it aside and slugged Thanos, hard. Thanos went flying, landing in a pile of Debris. Kara was about to walk over to him when something slammed into her. She was sent flying, caught by something. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. 

“Sam?” She gasped and Reign sneered before she punched Kara.

As his team was dealing with the remnants, Barry grabbed Thawne and threw him into some debris before speeding over, punching him. While Thawne was fast, and had complete mastery over the Negative Speed Force, his lack of any formal combat training gave Barry a clear edge. Barry held out his hand and Mjolnir flew into his hand.

“It’s over Thawne. For real this time. You won’t be coming back,” Barry said and Thawne let out a sadistic laugh.

“Don’t posture Barry. You could have killed me when you created Flashpoint, you didn’t. You could have killed me multiple times before then, you didn’t. You won’t now,” Thawne mocked him.

“You came back, working with Thanos. You tried to kill Joe, Wally, Clint’s family. You almost succeeded in helping Thanos take everything I care about. All those times before, I had a choice. This time…I don’t,” Barry said before he swung the lightning charged weapon at Thawne hitting him in the face full force. 

Peter was running, dodging as Savage threw a dagger at him. Sam then flew in, firing at Savage. Savage dodged as Sam grabbed Peter and flew up into the air.

“Hang on kid,” Sam said before he tossed Peter over to Valkyrie and her Pegasus. 

“Hey, I’m Peter,” Peter greeted as he landed behind Valkyrie on her Pegasus. 

Suddenly, everyone was forced to dodge as Scott was thrown on his back, shrinking down to normal size.

“Um, the big flaming guy got through me,” Scott stated lamely.

“I will raze this planet as I did Asgard! Then I will finally have my revenge, Thor Odinson!” Surtur ranted as he whirled his sword.

“Aim for the crown! He’ll disappear once we get it off!” Thor shouted as he threw Stormbreaker. 

However, to Thor’s shock and dismay, Surtur simply wacked it away with his sword.

“You cannot stop me!” Surtur shouted as he whirled his sword, plunging it into the ground. 

The fighting then stopped as fire shot out of the ground, forcing them all back. Wanda and Freya used their powers in an attempt to contain it when suddenly; it stopped as a breach opened up. Wally came out.

“What is he doing? Where the hell has he been?” Cisco wondered.

“Getting one last ally,” Fate said, to the confusion as everyone.

Someone followed Wally out as the Breach closed. It was a dark haired man dressed in a suit that seemed modeled after Kara’s, even had the same strange symbol on it. As he saw it, Cisco started to laugh.

“Oh boy, you guys are so screwed now!” Cisco shouted in glee as Clark Kent saw Surtur.

“He’s the guy who wants to make the world go down in flames?” Clark asked Fate, who nodded. “Good to know.”

“You cannot stop me!” Surtur roared again, sending a blast of fire towards Clark.

However, to his shock, Clark soared into it. Clark cut completely through it before flying up to Surtur’s head, punching him so hard it caused the flame giant to stumble back.

“Oh yeah!” Rocket cheered.

“Get that crown off his head!” Thor shouted.

Clark nodded, flying up to Surtur’s head once more. He grabbed the crown and, with a powerful yank, removed it from his head. Surtur roared in frustration as he disappeared in a fiery mist, absorbed into the crown.

“Well, that was easily,” Clark said as he dropped the crown to the ground.

“Clark, we need an assist here,” Oliver told him over the Comms.

“Kid, give him the gauntlet,” Tony said.

“On it. Hey mister!” Peter said as Clark flew up next to him.

“I hear you have something for me?” Clark said in a friendly tone.

“Yeah, catch,” Peter said as he tossed him the gauntlet.

“Clark, get that thing as far away from here as you can,” Barry ordered.

“On it,” Clark said, about to fly off.

However, Reign then tackled him, punching him in the face. This caused Clark to drop the gauntlet and it landed on the ground with a thud. Thanos moved towards it but Laurel used her Canary Cry as Firestorm unleashed a fire blast. This sent Thanos flying back but, seething with rage, he threw his broken sword at them and the pair was forced to stop their attacks in order to dodge. 

Tony flew towards the gauntlet but Thanos grabbed him with his robotic arm and threw him into some debris. Barry sped over; throwing Mjolnir at him but Thanos dodged it as Thor rushed over. Thor attempted to strike Thanos with Stormbreaker but Thanos grabbed his weapon, stopping it. With his free arm, Thor summoned Mjolnir as Barry jumped on Thanos’ back, wrapping his arms around the mad Titan’s neck.

“Do it now Thor!” Barry shouted.

Thor attempted to move Stormbreaker forward a few crucial inches to finally end Thanos, but Thanos’ robotic arm was able to stop him. Thanos head butted Thor and caused the Asgardian to fall back. Thanos then ripped Barry off his back and tossed him into some debris.

Tony was about to go help when he saw Strange shake his head. Strange held up a single finger as Tony saw someone else walk up to the gauntlet and pick it up, unseen to Thanos. 

“I told you, I am inevitable,” Thanos said smugly.

“No father.”

Thanos’ blood ran cold as he turned around at the sound of the voice. Nebula stood behind him, the gauntlet on her arm, seemingly unaffected as the gauntlet’s energy started to eat away at her body.

“You are bested,” Nebula said and Thanos knew he had lost as Nebula snapped her fingers, the stones power creating a bright flash of light.

Oliver was exchanging blows with Malcolm when, to his shock, Malcolm turned into dust right in front of him.

Daisy tried to Quake Hive when she saw him disappear into dust, just like she remembered Elena doing. 

Logan continued to exchange blows with Creed when Creed turned to dust, fading away before Logan’s eyes. 

Matt grabbed Dex, about to punch him when he felt Dex turn into dust, to his confusion. 

Everyone stopped and watched as the enemy started to disappeared, those who had survived the snap remembering it as exactly what had happened when Thanos had used the stones the first time. 

Thanos watched in growing dismay as Barry stood up, looking at Thanos with a look of victory. Realizing he had lost, Thanos sat down and waited. He would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him cry with rage, refusing to accept defeat. He simply sat down, waiting with dignity. After a few moments, he felt his body start to disintegrate. He closed his eyes as his body turned to dust and he faded into the wind, just like the rest of his allies. 

The battle had been won, the universe saved…but at a cost.

Nebula stumbled, her entire body screaming with pain. She felt like most of her circuits had melted. Half her face was burned as sparks emitted from her body.

Rocket rushed over and stopped, seeing the state of her. He knew she would not last long, so he simply grabbed her hand, smiling sadly, trying not to cry as Nebula managed to return the smile.

The roar of rockets signaled Quill’s arrival. He landed, retracting his mask as Drax, Groot, and Mantis all slowly approached behind him.

“I-I did it,” Nebula, her voice sounding filled with static, said as Quill knelt down next to her.

“Yeah, you did it,” Quill said thickly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “You saved us. You killed Thanos. You did it.”

Nebula smiled before there was a sound similar to a generator shutting off. Nebula slumped to the side and they knew she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I’ve said a few times, group fight scenes are difficult, so I hope I did okay. If you didn’t see one of the heroes from last chapter mentioned, well, I was dealing with an incredibly large cast of characters in this chapter, so they were still there, fighting, just not mentioned. 
> 
> I thought the resolution to Icicle was stupid in the show. Because Thomas can overpower him after seeing him nearly kill Caitlin? Really? Why couldn’t he do that before, like when he saw what he was about to do to his wife and daughter? Made no sense and was really only done so Cicada could kill Thomas in front of Caitlin, once again treating Caitlin like crap. So, I changed that.
> 
> Nebula was not originally going to be the one to snap her fingers. Back when I still had a few more stories to tell for this universe, I had it be Barry, who would survive but be forced to temporarily retire due to the burns on his arm. But, when I made the decision to scrap the Arrow sequel and the following story, I tossed that idea because that was not how I wanted Barry’s story to end.
> 
> Knowing I needed someone else to do it, I went through a few candidates but really, the only logical candidate was Nebula. After everything Thanos did to her, no one else deserved to kill Thanos as much as she did. I understand why it was Tony in the film, but Nebula is the one who deserved to do it, no question.


	21. Journey's end part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nebula is laid to rest as Tony makes an important decision. The heroes decide what to do about the Infinity Stones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I ended up splitting the final chapter into two, just because it was getting so long due to the fact that I’m having to resolve multiple character Arcs and storylines. So, here’s the first half of the last chapter, the second half will be up soon. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Following the battle, while the majority of the Masters of the Mystic Arts and Wakandian soldiers had returned home, everyone else had elected to stay, at least for a few days, in order to pay their respects to Nebula.

 

Those who had homes in New York (Strange, Peter, Matt, Jessica, Luke, and Danny) had returned to those homes to get a good night’s sleep and reunite with their loved ones.

 

Scott had phoned his ex-wife to let her know what had happened, or at least the basics of it, and to assure her Cassie was fine before picking his daughter up from Earth-1.

 

To those not from Earth-66 or who simply had homes pretty far from New York, Tony had graciously offered Avengers Tower and his mansion for the night to sleep. It was a tight squeeze, especially with Asgardian refugees in the mix, but everyone managed to find a place to sleep. But a new day was dawning and it was time to face the world.

 

Avengers’ Tower

Morning

 

As the SHIELD team waited outside the docking bay, Fitz paced back and forth, fidgeting his hands nervously as his friends watched with a mix of exasperation and amusement. 

 

“Fitz, you know she’s gonna be happy to see you, right?” Daisy asked but, if Fitz heard her, he gave no indication of it.

 

“No use, he’s in full panic mode,” May said amused.

 

“Let him freak out if he wants. I mean, he did technically save the universe. Cut him a break,” Bobbi shrugged.

 

Further conversation was interrupted as they heard the roar of an engine. Everyone looked towards the hanger bay as a Quinjet soared through. Fitz was completely still as the Quinjet landed and the ramp lowered. Before it could completely reach the floor, Jemma Simmons was rushing down the ramp.

 

“Fitz?” Jemma called out as she looked around for him wildly until she saw him.

 

“Jemma,” Fitz breathed.

 

Neither was sure who moved first but, in a scene that felt like it was out of the movies, Fitz and Jemma rushed towards each other. They grabbed onto each other and kissed passionately, neither seeming to care that they had an audience.

 

“You came back to me,” Jemma said breathlessly as they pulled apart, putting her hands on the sides of his face, as if to reassure her that he was really here.

 

“I always will,” Fitz promised as he took her hands, lowering them from his face. “I thought we were cursed once, but I’ve realized…the universe can’t stop us. Because we’ve crossed galaxies, we’ve survived the bottom of the Atlantic, traveled through time all so that we could be together. A love like that, that is stronger than any curse. And you and I, we are unstoppable together. And I- I don’t want to live another day without you.”

 

“Neither do I,” Jemma said with a tearful smile.

 

“Good. Then, Jemma Simmons, will you marry me?” Fitz asked, his heart hammering in his chest.

 

“Absolutely,” Jemma said with a beaming smile.

 

Fitz smiled before they kissed once more.

 

“Well, looks like we’ve got another FitzSimmons wedding to prepare for,” Daisy said, causing Hunter and Bobbi to look confused.

 

“What do you mean another?” Hunter asked confused.

 

“It’s…a long story,” Mack said as he looked over at Fitz and Simmons. “Let’s give them some privacy and I’ll tell you all about it.”

 

Barry laid in bed in the room Tony had given them, his arms around his sleeping wife. He was musing as he felt Wanda stir.

 

“Hey,” Wanda said sleepily as she opened her eyes and saw him awake. “How long have you been up?”

 

“A while,” Barry admitted as he looked over at her, still hardly believing she was here, alive, in his arms.

 

“Barry,” Wanda said in concern as she saw the look in his eyes.

 

“I spent three days, knowing you were gone, that Cisco was gone, and that there was nothing I could do about it,” Barry said after a moment of silence.

 

“I know, but I’m here,” Wanda said as she took his face in his hands. “I’m okay, Cisco’s okay, we’re all alive. You did it, we all did it.”

 

“What would you think of taking some time off?” Barry said randomly, throwing her. “Not permanently, just…letting Wally and Cisco protect the city for a bit.”

 

“How long were you thinking?” Wanda asked wearily.

 

“Just a few months. It’s just…I have been going at high speed since I woke up from my coma. I never stopped to take in, even after Flashpoint. And after all this…I’d like to take some time to just enjoy my life, with you and our daughter,” Barry said, waiting to see Wanda’s reaction.

 

“I think we’ll have a lot of time on our hands. How do you feel about a vacation?” Wanda said, only half joking.

 

“How does Paris sound?” Barry joked and Wanda laughed.

 

They two got dressed and walked out, ready to start the long day. They entered what they remembered as the kitchen from their brief time living here before moving to the Compound to see Cisco, Caitlin, and Freya in conversation at the table. They stopped as they saw the pair.

 

“Finally joined the land of the living, huh?” Cisco said as he got up and Barry smiled.

 

“Yeah,” Barry said before, to Cisco’s surprise, he pulled his best friend into a hug. “It’s good to have you back.”

 

“Thanks,” Cisco said, returning the hug.

 

Freya had a look like a deer caught in the headlights as she stared at the mother she had never known. It was easier with dad, she mused, as he had been there until she was fourteen. She had little memories of her mother, only fuzzy images from early childhood. Memories of unknown songs sung to her young mind and of arms holding her that had made her feel safe.

 

“Hi,” Wanda said awkwardly.

 

“Hi,” Freya said, slightly relieved that this was as strange for her mother as it was for her. “I know this must be strange.

 

“Very,” Wanda agreed as she sat down, taking her daughter’s hand. “But strange has been my life for…a long time.”

 

“No kidding kid,” Clint said as he walked. “Morning.”

 

“Morning,” they chorused and Clint chuckled.

 

“What, you rehearse that or what?” Clint joked before he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small ball. “Since you’re all here, I can give you this.”

 

“What’s that?” Cisco asked confused as Freya stared at it.

 

“It’s a message cube,” Freya said and they looked over at her. “It was invented in 2024. How’d you get it?”

 

“The other me put it in a pocket dimension when it was given to him by your dad, just before he died,” Clint said and Freya looked at him sharply. “He wanted you to have it once we beat Thanos.”

 

“He knew?” Freya whispered and Clint nodded.

 

“Yeah. I saw a lot of things when I put on the helmet. I saw the other me tell your dad what would happen. I saw him record this message and the other me promised only to give it to you once Thanos and Thawne were in the ground,” Clint said, holding it out to her. “And I saw the five of you watch it. I think it’s meant for all of you.”

 

Freya took it after a moment, staring down at it with an unreadable expression. Clint took his leave, walking out as the others looked at Freya.

 

“We can let you watch it alone, if you want,” Caitlin offered but Freya shook her head.

 

“No. Grandpa’s right, if dad made this, he wanted us all here to see it,” Freya said.

 

“If you need a minute, we can wait,” Barry said gently and she smiled.

 

“Thanks dad, but I really would like to see what he-you-said,” Freya said.

 

Barry in understanding as Freya walked over and put the cube on the counter. She pressed a button as she stepped back. A light appeared as a second Barry appeared, as though he was leaning against the counter. But this Barry was drastically different than the one standing next to his family and best friends.

 

This Barry had a beard and the edges of his hair were starting to grey slightly. But it was his eyes that were the biggest difference. He had a look of pain in his eyes, the eyes of someone who had endured a life of great suffering.

 

“Hey Slugger,” Future Barry said with a smile that was a pale imitation of the one Barry had given Wanda that morning. “If you’re seeing this, that means you and Clint did it. You beat Thanos and Thawne. If that’s the case, I hope your mom, Cisco, and Caitlin are all watching this with you. Wish I could be there to see it, to see them one more time.

 

“I wanted you to see this before you went, to know I had faith that you could do this, but Clint said you needed to see this after it was all over. So, when you see this, I’m hoping it’s a time of celebration. That families have been reunited, all that Thanos did has been undone. That things are as they should be. But, there will still be battles to be fought, evil will rise up again,” Future Barry as they all listened to his message. “Nothing in the world is what it should be, that’s why it needs people like us. Heroes. It doesn’t matter where we come from, what we’ve done, or how we’ve suffered along the way. The fight will always need to be fought; one person can make a difference. I’m about to leave to go face Magneto, and from what Clint tells me-or rather what he didn’t-I have a feeling that I’m not coming back. So, there are a few things I want you to know.

 

“First, I’m proud of you,” Future Barry said and Freya swallowed the lump in her throat as Wanda placed a hand on her shoulder. “Every day, when I see you do something I’ve taught you, or use your mom’s powers to help someone…it’s the best moment in my life. I’m sorry that it wasn’t me, that you’ve had to spend the last eleven years without me and you’ve had to fix our mistakes. But if I do die today, I have no regrets. A part of the journey is the end.”

 

Future Barry suddenly stopped, seeming to look right at Freya before seeming to look at all of them.

 

“I love all of you. Hopefully, we’ll see each other again someday,” Future Barry smiled before moving and his hologram vanished.

 

Freya let out a shaky breath, putting her hands to her face as they all absorbed what they had heard.

 

“You okay?” Barry asked gently.

 

“You knew. You knew you weren’t going to make it back,” Freya said as she looked up at him.

 

“Sure seems that way,” Barry agreed. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I think I am,” Freya said after a moment. “All these years, I wanted to know what you’ve said to me if you knew you wouldn’t see me again. Now, I know. And I’m okay.”

 

Former Avengers Compound

Afternoon

 

On the site where, just the previous day, they had fought to save the universe, they now met in remembrance. The Avengers, Team Flash, Team Arrow, The Legends, the SHIELD team, Freya, Kara, J’onn, Logan, T’Challa with Shuri and Okoye, Peter and his Aunt May, Scott with his daughter, ex-wife and her husband, Sif, Valkyrie, Loki, Fury, Hill, the Pym/Van Dyne family, Matt with Foggy and Karen, Strange and Wong, Jessica, Luke, Danny, Colleen, Frank and The Guardians all stood before a single grave in the center of what had been the battlefield.

 

_Nebula_

_Daughter of Thanos_

_Guardian of the Galaxy_

_The one who saved us all_

For a few moments, it was completely silent as they all stared at it. Then, Quill cleared his throat and they all turned to him as he stepped forward to give the eulogy.

 

“I didn’t really know Nebula that well; she wasn’t someone who was easy to get to know. I mostly knew her through Gamora. We didn’t get off on the right foot, what with her trying to kill me and everything, but I grew to think of her as a friend. I’d like to think she felt the same way about me. Nebula suffered a lot under Thanos, more than any of us. But, she decided he wasn’t going to define her. Nebula became the best version of herself. She saved us, heck; she saved the whole dang universe. So, if there’s any justice, she and Gamora are together now,” Quill finished as he looked up into the sky.

 

Later, long after everyone else had left, the SHIELD team was in what had once been the forest behind the Compound, staring at a single, untouched object that had somehow avoided destruction during the battle: Coulson’s grave.

 

Daisy fell to her knees, staring at it emotionally as May, her face emotionless as it was when she tried to block out what she was feeling, put a hand on her shoulder as the others hung back, staring at it, each trying to process the fact that Coulson was truly dead.

 

“Can’t believe this,” Hunter said softly. “It just...it doesn’t...”

 

“It doesn’t feel real,” Bobbi agreed as she took his hand. “It was worse when you were here for it.”

 

“I wish there was a way we could let him know that we did it. We won,” Fitz said sadly as Jemma took his hand.

 

“He knows,” Jemma said certainly. “And he’s proud of you. He’s proud of all of us.”

 

“So what happens now?” Daisy said after she stood up, gaining control of herself.

 

“We get back to work,” Mack said before turning to Hunter and Bobbi. “How would you guys feel about coming back to SHIELD?”

 

“Well, since they already know about Inhumans, I guess it doesn’t make much difference if we come back,” Hunter mused before looking over at Bobbi. “Bob? What do you say?”

 

“I’d love to…if we do one thing first,” Bobbi said, to everyone’s confusion as she took Hunter’s hand. “Do you remember what we tried to do before the ninja’s showed up?”

 

It took a moment for Hunter to understand what she was saying. When we did, he looked at her in shock.

 

“I thought you said that we weren’t meant for that?” Hunter said stunned.

 

“And then I spent three days knowing you were dead. It…changed my perspective. I can’t live without you Hunter, I know that now. So, what do you say?”  Bobbi asked and Hunter laughed.

 

“Fitz, Simmons, how do you feel about a double wedding?” Hunter asked as he looked over his shoulder.

 

Avengers Tower

Not long after

 

At the wake being held for Nebula in the tower, an important, life changing conversation was taking place.

 

“So you’re leaving?” Steve asked Tony shocked.

 

“It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while, but all this just made me decide to take a leap of faith. Since I lost Pepper, I’ve just been going through the motions. I need to go out there and find something for me. I’m going on a journey, one of self-discovery,” Tony told Steve. “I’ve already handed in my resignation to the board at Stark Industries. It’s time for me to be who I am, not who everyone expects me to be.”

 

“Good, I’m happy for you Tony,” Steve said honestly as he saw how at peace Tony was with his decision. “Where will you go?”

 

“Hey, Jester King,” the pair looked over to see Rocket standing behind them. “You coming or what?”

 

A little later, Tony stood facing Steve, Rhodey, Natasha, Clint, Thor, and Peter, The Benatar behind him.

 

“Well, looks like this is goodbye,” Tony noted.

 

“Farwell Stark,” Thor said, holding out his hand to Tony.

 

“See ya Thor. Keep an eye on your brother for us, make sure he doesn’t cause trouble,” Tony said as took Thor’s hand.

 

“We’re talking about Loki Tony,” Clint joked and they all had a good laugh.

 

“Clint,” Tony said, looking at the archer with shame. “About The Raft, talking about your family…I…”

 

“Tony,” Clint cut him off. “I forgive you for that a long time ago. I mean, I’m not gonna forget it, obviously, but Nat and Fury got my family out in time. I know you weren’t trying to put them in danger. And, to be honest, we’re all happier on Earth-1.”

 

Tony looked surprised but relieved as Clint held a hand out to him.

 

“Take care of yourself Tony,” Clint said as Tony grasped Clint’s hand.

 

“You to Clint, look out for Barry. Trouble seems to always follow him,” Tony joked as he turned to Rhodey.

 

“So, looks like this is it huh?” Rhodey said thickly.

 

“Yeah. Look out for these guys, okay?” Tony said and Rhodey nodded.

 

“Yeah. I’ll miss you man,” Rhodey said as they hugged.

 

“I’ll miss you to,” Tony said thickly as they pulled back. “But I need to do this, for me.”

 

Rhodey nodded in understanding as Tony turned to Natasha.

 

“Look like this is it, huh? It all started with us,” Tony noted.

 

“Yeah. Us and Bruce. Shame he couldn’t stick around for this,” Natasha noted.

 

“We said our goodbyes earlier. He said he had somewhere he needed to be,” Tony noted wistfully.

 

“Goodbye Tony,” Natasha said.

 

“Goodbye Nat. I hope you get whatever you want out of life,” Tony said before he turned to Peter.

 

“I don’t know if I can do this without you. I can’t be like you Mr. Stark,” Peter confessed and Tony smiled.

 

“You’re right, you can’t be like me. You can be better,” Tony said, putting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Better than I ever was. The future’s in your hands kid. Do good.”

 

Tony then dropped his hand to his side and turned to Steve.

 

“I will miss you Tony,” Steve said and Tony smiled.

 

“I’ll miss you to Cap,” Tony said, holding out his hand to Steve. “I’m sorry, for everything.”

 

“Me to,” Steve said as he shook Tony’s hand.

 

“Take care of yourself Steve,” Tony said as they dropped hands.

 

Tony then grabbed a briefcase, containing a suit inside and a duffle bag before he boarded the ship.

 

“About dang time,” Rocket said as Tony dropped the bag.

 

“I am Groot,” Groot said, not looking up from his game.

 

“Yeah, we almost left without you,” Quill said from the pilot’s seat.

 

“Okay, calm down Han,” Tony said as he sat down into a chair. “I’m here and I’m ready to go, don’t go postal on me. So…where should we go first?”

 

“Let’s start with up.” Quill said before the ship started to take off.

 

Harvard University

Later in the afternoon  

 

Bruce took a deep breath as he took it all in. Eight years since he’d been here and it still looked the same. People stopped and stared at him, recognizing him as The Hulk but he ignored them as he took a trip down memory lane.

 

“Bruce?”

 

Bruce tensed at the sound of her voice. He turned around, slowly, to see Betty Ross staring at him in shock.

 

“Hey Betty,” Bruce said awkwardly. “It’s been a while.”

 

“Eight years,” Betty agreed, not taking her eyes off him.

 

“So…how have you been?” Bruce asked awkwardly.

 

“I’ve been good. You?” Betty asked.

 

“Well, you must have heard the stories?” Bruce said and Betty nodded.

 

“I have,” Betty agreed. “So…how are the two of you? Any…progress?”

 

“Yeah, we…made peace. You were right all those years ago. He was never a disease, he was…part of me,” Bruce said, trying to explain but not sure he succeeded.

 

“Good, that’s good,” Betty said, seeming happy for him.

 

“So, is there…anyone special in your life?” Bruce asked awkwardly, trying to keep his voice even.

 

From the amused similar she gave him, he wasn’t sure he was successful.

 

“No. You?” she asked.

 

“No,” Bruce said honestly and she nodded.

 

“Good,” Betty said, to his confusion.

 

Betty then walked over and pulled him into a kiss. Although surprised, Bruce quickly grabbed her and returned the kiss.

 

Avengers Tower

Same time

 

In the lab, The Avengers, Team Flash, Team Arrow, Legends, The Defenders, T’Challa, Fury, Freya, Kara, J’onn, Clark, Strange, and Loki all stared down at the six Infinity Stones, which had been assembled carefully on a table.

 

“Okay, so what do we do with these things?” Sam asked wearily.

 

“I say we destroy them. Less trouble for everyone,” Jessica said indifferently.

 

“No, that would be a very bad idea,” Loki said immediately.

 

“Loki is right for once,” Strange said as they all looked over at him. “The Stones have been here since the beginning of time, they’re as much a part of existence as the stars. To destroy even one could have catastrophic consequences not only for this universe, but the entire multiverse.”

 

“Yeah, so let’s not do that,” Cisco said uneasily.

                      

“But this kind of power can’t fall into the wrong hands again,” Steve noted.

 

“So we do the only logical thing,” Barry said as they all looked over at him. “We split them apart among the multiverse.”

 

“Just like that?” Luke asked skeptically.

 

“Yeah, just like that. I mean, they only exist in this section of the multiverse, right?” Barry asked as he looked over at Strange.

 

“That’s right. The Stones have always existed here. If we split them apart, they’ll never be used by someone like Thanos again,” Strange agreed.

 

“So some of us take one and protect it,” Steve said and everyone looked around, all in agreement.

 

“So I guess the only question is who takes what stone,” Danny noted as they all looked down at the six objects of power.

 

“The Masters of the Mystic Arts have sworn an oath to protect the Time Stone. It goes with me,” Strange said in a tone that left no room for argument as he picked it up.

 

“Thanos took the Space Stone from me, I will make sure it never falls into the hands of one such as him again,” Thor declared as he picked up the blue stone.

 

“I shall take the Mind Stone to Wakanda,” T’Challa said as he picked up the stone that had once been in Vision’s head. “Anyone who dares to take it will have to fight all of Wakanda to get it.”

 

“Which stone is the most dangerous?” Kara asked as she eyed the Reality, Power, and Soul Stones.

 

“The Power Stone. Only someone truly powerful like Thanos is able to hold it,” Strange said grimly.

 

“We can take it, no one will find it on the Waveridder,” Ray offered.

 

“No!” Barry, Oliver, Cisco, Caitlin, Wanda, Clint, Laurel, and Roy all shouted, almost making everyone else jump.

 

“If half the stories Sara has told us are true, the last place it belongs is with you guys,” Oliver said firmly.

 

“You created a world without Star Wars!” Cisco exclaimed like it was a criminal offense.

 

“Yeah, why don’t we just set the Ozone on fire instead?” Laurel said snarkily.

 

“That actually sounds like a better alternative to letting you guys have it,” Clint said as the Legends exchanged sheepish look.

 

“They have a point,” Sara admitted.

 

“I’ll take it,” Clark said as he reached down and picked up the purple stone. “No one will find it in my Fortress of Solitude.”

 

Strange eyed him, not surprised Clark was able to hold it after what he had seen during the battle. They all nodded, in agreement as they looked down at the two remaining stones.

 

“I guess I’ll take the Reality Stone back to Earth-1,” Barry said as he picked it up and they all stopped, looking down at the Soul Stone.

 

“What about this one?” Roy asked.

 

“Put it back where it came from,” Strange said and they looked at him. “The Soul Stone has been guarded by a guide who explains what you need to do in order to take it. In order to take it, you must sacrifice what you love.”

 

“Thanos came back from Vormir with the stone, his daughter Gamora didn’t,” Natasha remembered.

 

“Because no one else who found it was willing to make that sacrifice or there was nothing to sacrifice. It’s the perfect place to hide it,” Strange explained.

 

“I’ll take it back when I take Mjolnir and Loki back,” Barry said and Loki tensed and Thor looked confused.

 

“What do you mean take them back?” Thor said as he looked over at his brother.

 

“I asked him to take me back to Sakaar, where Thawne recruited me,” Loki explained gently. “Brother, I do not belong here.”

 

“Loki…” Thor trailed off, pain on his face.

 

“I must return to my own time. There is a natural order to things, I see that now,” Loki said as Thor looked at him devastated.

 

“Thor, I get it, but Loki doesn’t belong here. Leaving him here could have a lot of unintended consequences on the timeline,” Barry said gently as Thor looked over at. “I went back in time and saved my mom. When I realized I’d made a mistake, I tried to set things back to how they were, but I just ended up making things worse.”

 

“Time is fragile. The smallest change can have lasting consequences for the timeline. Loki cannot stay, no matter how much you may want him to,” Strange said, compassion shining in his eyes.

 

“Brother, you must let me go,” Loki said as he walked over, putting a hand on Thor’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s be honest, this story would not be complete without a FitzSimmons reunion, right?
> 
> I hope I did okay during the funeral scene, I’ve never written for Quill before and there’s not a lot of interactions between him and Nebula in the film. Plus the four year time skip between Guardians 2 and IW.
> 
> In the show, it’s always kind of bugged me that Hunter and Bobbi’s departure was for nothing. Not only did they not get their spinoff, but the world found out about SHIELD working with Inhumans anyway. At this point, there’s no real reason in universe preventing them from coming back. 
> 
> For giving Tony Thor’s ending from Endgame, well, I thought it fit for Tony’s character in this. Tony is looking for something, some meaning in his life now that he’s lost Pepper. Since he lost he’s just gone through the motions basically. He’s basically going on a soul searching journey. And plus, the Guardians are a bunch of misfits who don’t belong anywhere, and that’s basically Tony right now, someone who feels like he doesn’t belong anywhere. 
> 
> For Bruce’s ending, in The Incredible hulk, Betty proved to be a much better match for Bruce than Natasha ever was. And if it feels a little rushed, well, as I established in the previous chapter and One last run, Bruce has never stopped loving her.


	22. Journey's end part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes say goodbye as move on to the next chapter in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here we are, the final chapter. And with it, the Two earths series more or less comes to an end. Yes, One las run is still up but the main storyline is finished. I would like to thank each and every one of you who has supported me not only on this story, but all the stories in the series. It’s been a wild ride and thank you all for coming on it with me.

Avengers Tower  
Mid afternoon 

“You ready?” Barry said, Mjolnir in hand.

“Just a moment,” Loki said, gesturing Thor off to the side. “A word brother? Privately.”

Loki walked off to the side, Thor following after him, looking confused.

“Brother, you cannot live your whole life on the battlefield,” Loki told him.

“I know, I am king now,” Thor said but Loki shook his head. 

“That is not what I meant,” Loki said, confusing Thor. “Life, I’ve learned, is more than just fighting battle to battle. And it can be…lonely, if you have no one to share it with.”

Loki looked pointedly down to the ground floor. Thor followed his gaze to see he was looking at Sif, who was sharing a drink with Valkyrie. It took only a moment for Thor to catch on.

“I see,” Thor said awkwardly, blushing as Loki smirked.

“Think about it brother,” Loki said, patting him on the shoulder. “This…is where we say farewell.”

Loki held out a hand to Thor, but Thor ignored it, pulling his brother into a bone crushing hug.

“Thor,” Loki gasped, finding it difficult to breath.

Thor reluctantly let Loki go, wiping his eyes.

“Goodbye brother,” Thor said his voice thick with emotion.

“Goodbye,” Loki said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Loki walked back over to Barry and nodded.

“I’m ready,” Loki said.

Barry nodded, looking over at Strange. Strange nodded and opened a portal. Barry and Loki walked through it and it closed a moment after.

“We’re sure this is a good idea? Sending Barry off with Loki?” Rhodey asked skeptically. 

“If my brother decides to cause trouble, Allen will be more than capable of handling himself,” Thor said certainly.

“Well, while we wait, Mr. Barton,” Strange looked towards Clint. “There’s something we need to discuss.”

Clint nodded, already having a feeling what Strange wanted to discuss. And he had already decided to agree to Strange’s demand…with one condition.

Vormir   
Same time

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Barry asked Loki as he looked around what seemed to be a completely desolate wasteland of a planet.

“I do not know, I have never been to this planet,” Loki admitted as he looked around as well. “But if the stories are true, this is the right place.”

“Bartholomew, son of Nora,” Barry and Loki tensed as a cloaked figure suddenly appeared in front of them. “Loki, son of Odin. Welcome.” 

“You know us?” Barry asked, gripping Mjolnir tightly.

“I know all those who will arrive here to seek the stone, for I am its guide,” the guide said as he stepped into view, allowing them to see he had a red face that resembled a human skull. “But the stone is not here.”

“We know. We’ve come to return it,” Loki said as Barry held out the Soul Stone for the guide to see.

“Very well,” the guide said, showing no emotion.

He led the pair to up a cliff, all the wall to the top ledge.

“Simply toss the stone over the ledge,” the guide instructed, gesturing to the end of the cliff. 

“Just like that?” Barry asked skeptically.

“Yes, just like that,” the guide said in the same emotionless, chilling tone he’d been using. 

Barry looked over at Loki, who simply shrugged in a ‘do it so we can get out here’ way. Barry sighed before walking over to the ledge and looked down, seeing it as a long drop. Barry tossed the stone down and waited, but nothing happened. Feeling very unimpressed, Barry turned around and walked passed Loki, who followed him, eager to leave as well.

Sakaar, a few weeks earlier  
Day

Barry sped to a stop in the palace, letting Loki go as he looked around.

“This is the Grandmaster’s palace? I expected…well, not sure what I expected actually,” Barry admitted. 

“Yes, well, you should probably get going before one of the Grandmaster’s guards sees you,” Loki said and Barry nodded.

“Just out of curiously, why did you decide to ask me to take you back?” Barry asked curiously. “I mean, you know you’re gonna die, right?”

“I know, my brother told me. Killed by Thanos,” Loki acknowledged. “My mother, she warned me of the consequences of messing with time, even with magic. I am mischief, but I am not crazy, nor stupid. Only one without reason messes with time.”

Barry stared at Loki for a moment, reminded of Leonard Snart before he nodded.

“Take care Loki,” Barry said before he turned and sped off. 

Avengers Tower  
Now

After dropping Mjolnir off in New Mexico in 2010, Barry returned to the tower to a scene that perplexed him. Clint, wearing the helmet once more, held Natasha’s hand as she was bathed in a golden light.

“What’s going on?” Barry asked as he walked up to Cisco, who was watching the scene with the others.

“Strange wants Clint to give him the helmet, Clint says he will, but said he wants to ‘try something’ first,” Cisco explained.

As he spoke, the light faded from Natasha as Fate let go of her hand.

“What was taken from you so long ago has now been restored. Live your life as you choose, not how anyone tells you to,” Fate said.

Natasha was stunned as Fury’s eye widened in shock at the implication. Fate removed the helmet and there was a flash as Clint was returned to his normal form.

“Okay, here’s the helmet,” Clint said as he handed it to Strange.

“You’ve given up a lot of power. Pretty easily to,” Strange noted.

“I never wanted that helmet, neither did the other guy. We wore it because we needed to. I don’t want power; I already have everything I want,” Clint said with certainly.

Strange eyed him for a moment before nodding. Taking the helmet, he opened up a portal and walked through it, the portal vanishing behind him. For a moment, it was silent, all of them staring at the spot where Strange had disappeared. 

“I feel it is time that I take my leave,” Thor said and they all turned to him. “I must get my people settled. I am king now, they are my responsibility.”

“Where will you take them?” Natasha asked and Thor smiled.

“I was thinking Norway,” Thor said with a chuckled that confused them. “If you ever need anything, just ask and I will be there.”

“That goes both ways Thor,” Steve said and Thor nodded gratefully. 

“Thank you Captain,” Thor said before walking over to Barry, holding out his hand. “Allen. You proved yourself worthy. For that, you have my respect.”

“Thank you Thor,” Barry said as he shook Thor’s hand graciously.

“I will be in touch my friends,” Thor said as he dropped Barry’s hand before he walked off to gather his people.

“Well, I hate to seem like I’m piling on, but we should probably get going to,” Clint said as he looked over at Barry, Wanda, and Cisco. “We have jobs and families to get back to.” 

“Yeah, guess it’s time to say goodbye,” Barry noted wistfully, looking over at Caitlin.

“Guess so,” Caitlin said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

“I’ll miss you,” Cisco said as he walked over to her. “You sure about this?”

“Yeah, I am,” Caitlin said with a look over at Steve. “I’m making a choice for me. I hope you can understand that.”

“Yeah, I understand Cait. Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you,” Cisco said as he hugged her.

“I’ll miss you to Cisco,” Caitlin said softly.

“Yeah,” Cisco said thickly, wiping his eyes as they parted before he stalked over to Steve. “And if you ever hurt her, I will Breach you to the bottom of the ocean where sharks will feast on your insides!”

“I don’t doubt it Cisco,” Steve said with a smile.

“Regretting giving me that advise yet?” Caitlin joked halfheartedly as she walked over to Barry.

“A little bit. I’ll miss you Cait. Ever since I woke up from my coma…you’ve always been the one to keep me in check when I get too caught up in myself,” Barry said thickly.

“You have someone else for that now,” Caitlin said as she looked over at Wanda. “Keep an eye on this one, Lord knows he can’t keep himself out of trouble if his life depended on it.”

“I’ll try,” Wanda laughed as Barry rolled his eyes at them.

“Very funny Cait. Don’t be a stranger now,” Barry said, hugging her tightly.

“You either. We’ll have to visit each other a lot,” Caitlin said as she returned the hug.

“You can count on it Cait,” Barry promised as he let her go.

“Just remember, heart and head,” Caitlin said, confusing everyone else as Barry nodded.

“Heart and head,” Barry echoed. 

“I think I should probably get going to,” Freya said and they all looked over at her. “I came here to make sure you won, that Thanos and Thawne were defeated. I did that. Now, I think I should head back to my own time.”

“It feels like you just got here. And we hardly got any time together,” Wanda said sadly.

“Mom, we’ll have a lifetime together. But dad and Strange are right, I don’t belong here anymore than Loki did. And you have to get back to younger me,” Freya said with a smile. “We’ll see each other again someday.”

“I know. It doesn’t mean I won’t miss you,” Wanda said as she walked over and hugged Freya. 

“I know,” Freya hugged her mother before letting go and turning to Barry. “Dad.”

“I’m hoping that, this time around, I can give you the happy life you deserved,” Barry said with a smile. 

“I don’t doubt that you will. And I look forward to every minute of it,” Freya smiled before she turned to everyone else. “It’s been an honor to fight alongside you all, to know you like I didn’t before. But now, I need to head home.”

“The honor was ours Freya,” Steve said graciously.

Freya nodded before, with one last look at her family, she turned and sped off. For a moment, it was silent until Clint spoke up.

“Anyone have a pen and paper?” Clint asked randomly.

Confused, Natasha grabbed a small piece of paper and a pen, giving it to him. Clint grabbed them, quickly writing something down before handing it back to her.

“Tell Murdock to head to that address, that he’ll find what he’s looking for there,” Clint told her, confusing all of them.

“Let me guess, something else you saw in the helmet?” Steve said knowingly.

“I saw a lot of things Cap,” Clint sad cryptically and they all rolled their eyes.

“Clint’s right, we should probably get going,” Barry acknowledged reluctantly. “But we should definitely see each other again soon. Preferably when the fate of the universe isn’t at stake.”

“Yeah man, we should,” Sam said, walking over and giving Barry a half handshake, half hug. 

“See you Sam,” Barry said as he let the other man go before walking up to Steve. “Been here before.”

“Take care of yourself and your family Barry,” Steve said, holding out a hand that Barry promptly ignored, pulling Steve into a hug.

“You to Cap,” Barry said as he leaned close to Steve’s ear. “Take care of her or I will come back and ripe out your heart.”

“Noted,” Steve said amused as they stepped back.

“Thank you,” Natasha said emotionally as she hugged Clint tightly. “Thank you.”

“You deserve whatever you want out of life Nat,” Clint said as he hugged her back. “You should visit soon. The kids miss you, especially Lila.” 

 

“Sure,” Natasha said as they pulled back, managing to gain some control over her emotions. “I miss them to.” 

“And you should bring your boyfriend to,” Clint said as he looked over at Bucky. “Just so you know, if you ever hurt her-”

“No one will find my body,” Bucky finished with a grin. “Steve and Sam already gave me that speech.” 

“See you around guys,” Barry said as Cisco opened a Breach. “If you ever need anything, just call.”

“That goes both ways man,” Sam said.

Barry nodded before he, Wanda, Clint, and Cisco entered the Breach. Before he walked through the portal, Barry turned to Caitlin one last time, the pair exchanging a smile filled with emotion before he turned and walked through the Breach. It closed behind him and Caitlin stared at the spot where they had vanished for a few moments.

“You okay?” Steve asked as he walked over to her.

“Yeah. I won’t lie and say I won’t miss them like crazy, but I want this. I want you,” Caitlin said before she leaned up and kissed him.

“Well, welcome to the team,” Sam said and Caitlin smiled.

New York City  
Night

High above the night sky, fireworks went off in celebration of the defeat of Thanos and the return of those who had been lost. Peter Parker, on a sky scraper, looked down at the city in thought before he looked down at his mask. Peter slid his mask on over his face before shooting of some webbing, swinging across the night’s sky. 

In another part of New York, two criminals were braking into a closed store when they heard the cock of a gun. They looked up to see Frank aiming two rifles at them before he opened fire.

Elsewhere a car stopped outside a rather modest building. Matt got out, Karen and Foggy right behind him.

“It’s a clinic,” Foggy told Matt as he read a sign. 

“You’re sure this is the address?” Matt asked skeptically.

“735 on Rogers Lane, yeah, this is the place,” Foggy confirmed.

“We can go in with you if you want?” Karen offered.

“Thanks Karen, but we don’t know what’s in there. I can handle this alone,” Matt said graciously.

Feeling them nod, Matt walked up to the front door and knocked. After a few moments, an old man opened the door.

“Can I help you sir?” the man asked.

“Yes, I’m Matt Murdock. I was told to come here,” Matt said and heard the man’s heartrate jolt, like in excitement.

“Mathew?” he asked.

“Yes,” Matt said confused.

“Come in, come in,” the man said, ushering him inside. “I’ve been hoping you might come here one day.”

“Why?” Matt said confused.

“A few months ago, a woman was brought here, horribly injured. She looked like she’d been thrown off a cliff. She’s been in a coma ever since,” the man said as he led Matt down the hall. “She had no identification on her, so I couldn’t identify her. She sometimes talks while she sleeps, saying a name, over and over again.”

“Mathew,” Matt noted and the man nodded. “Why didn’t you take here to a hospital?”

“Hospitals are more concerned about the money than the medical care. No insurance, no ID, she’d just be another number to them. At least if I kept her, she’d get the proper medical care,” the man said as he stopped, opening a door to a room. “She’s right through here.” 

Matt nodded his heart racing. It couldn’t be, his mind told him but his heart couldn’t help but hope. He heard breathing as he entered, walking over to a bed. The woman was lying there, appearing asleep. Matt, with a shaking hand, reached down, placing his hand on the side of her face. As he touched her, he felt her eyes flutter open.

“Mathew,” she said her voice hoarse from lack of use.

“Elektra,” Matt said emotionally.

Norway, next day  
Morning

Thor stood on the land, looking out at the sky. Sif walked up behind him, looking at him concerned.

“Thor?” she called concerned.

“This is where my father died, right here,” Thor told her wistfully. “He vanished, right before Loki and I. It feels fitting that this is where our people should make our home.”

“Odin’s time as king has ended. Yours is just beginning,” Sif said and Thor nodded.

“So it is. I am stubborn, sometimes rash and hard headed. I might need someone to stand by my side and knock some sense into me,” Thor said causally. 

“We have known each other for thousands of years. I will stand by you, however you need me to,” Sif said immediately and Thor smiled slightly.

“You are speaking to me as your king, not as your friend,” Thor said and Sif did not deny it. “I do not need someone who will agree with whatever I say. I need a friend to help me if lose my way. Or perhaps something more.”

“Thor?” Sif said confused as Thor took her hand in his with a gentleness that surprised her.

“As you said, we have known each other for thousands of years. I am sorry for the pain I caused you with Jane,” Thor said, surprising her. “I do not regret meeting Jane, as she helped me become who I am now, a hero and a worthy king. But I hurt you with her, I see that now.”

“It is okay Thor,” Sif said and Thor was silent before, to her surprise, he put a hand to the side of her face, causing electricity to course through her veins.

“If I am crossing a line, if this is unwelcome, stop me now,” Thor said softly.

Sif made no move to stop him as he leaned in. She instead closed her eyes as their lips met in a kiss.

West House, Earth-1  
Afternoon 

“So you’re retiring?” Cisco asked as he, the Allen, Bartons, Joe and Wally all stood in the living.

“We’re not retiring,” Wanda quickly assured him, holding Freya in her arms as her daughter squealed. 

“It’s more of a break than an actual retirement. After everything that happened with Thanos and Thawne, we both decided that we need one,” Barry explained.

“I get kid. The last few days, they’ve been rough,” Clint nodded, holding Laura by the waist. 

“Cisco, you okay?” Joe asked as he saw the look on Cisco’s face.

“First Caitlin left, now you’re going on vacation. Feels like everything’s changing,” Cisco mumbled and Barry nodded.

“It does,” Barry agreed. “But this isn’t forever, and Caitlin’s gonna visit. But I’ve been doing this nonstop almost since I woke up from a coma to find you and Caitlin watching over me. I need a break Cisco. I hope you can understand that.”

“Yeah, I understand,” Cisco sighed, remembering how he felt after Dante’s death.

“Thanks. And, even if I do decide to make this break permeant, you’ll always be my best friend,” Barry promised and Cisco smiled.

“Of course, who else would put up with you,” Cisco joked and Barry laughed. “So, we just saved the universe. We should celebrate. Drinks are on me! And for the kids, all the soda you want!”

Quinjet, Earth-66  
Same time

“So, there’s public outcry over The Accords now that we’ve proved they do more harm than good,” Rhodey said over a video message as Steve piloted the Quinjet. “The UN is facing a PR nightmare from all sides and over fifty countries have already withdrawn their support for The Accords. By the end of the month, I think we can count on talks of an appeal.”

“And Ross?” Natasha inquired.

“Trying to hold onto whatever power he can, but it doesn’t look good for him,” Rhodey said, unable to keep the note of glee out of his voice, causing everyone else to chuckle.

“Ross will be trouble, keep a look out Rhodey,” Steve warned him and Rhodey nodded. 

“You to Cap. I’ll be in touch in case anything changes. For now, you guys need to stay off the radar,” Rhodey warned them.

“Don’t worry, we will,” Natasha assured him.

“We’ll be in touch,” Steve said before ending the call.

“Where are we going anyway?” Caitlin spoke up, the only one who didn’t know.

Her answer came as a hanger opened up right in front of them. Steve landed the Quinjet and Caitlin looked around as Steve lowered the ramp. The group of five walked down the ramp as Caitlin got a good first look. 

“Welcome to the Playground,” Bucky told Caitlin.

“It’s an old SHIELD base, a good place to lay low. And our new base, for the foreseeable future,” Natasha explained.

“So now what?” Caitlin asked after getting a good look.

“We get back to work,” Steve said simply.

Earth-1, twenty three years in the future  
Afternoon

When Freya returned to her own time, she found herself in a building she didn’t recognize. It was full of people walking around to, some of whom waved at her as she passed. A couple, a man with blue eyes and grey hair and a woman with brown eyes and greying red hair smiled and waved at her as they walked passed her. 

It took her a moment to realize that they were an older Steve and Caitlin. 

As she walked down the hall, her heart jolted as she saw her Grandpa Clint, his hair now completely grey, looking exactly like he had in her time. Except now, there was life in his eyes and strength in his step.

“Hey kid. You okay?” Clint asked as he paused, seeing the look on her face.

“Y-yeah, fine,” Freya stammered, trying to keep her voice even.

Clint eyed her, clearly not believing her. However, someone called his name and, as he turned his head in their direction, Freya quickly walked off, trying to calm her thoughts. As she walked, she saw an older Bucky, given away by his robotic arm, standing next to whom had to be an older Natasha, both of them having wedding bands on their hands.

She walked down the stairs, seeing more familiar faces: Fitz and Jemma standing next to an eccentric man who could only be their grandson, Deke Shaw. She saw Bobbi, looking happier than Freya ever remembered seeing her, her blond hair greying as she stood next to a man with a receding hairline Freya realized was Hunter. However, she started as she saw someone standing in the corner. 

It was a woman with greying red hair and familiar eyes, eyes Freya saw every time she had dreamed of her mother as a child. Freya numbly walked over to her as her mother looked over at her.

“Freya, are you alright?” Wanda asked concerned.

Freya hugged Wanda tightly, her mind screaming in victory that it had happened, she had changed the future.

“Freya?” Wanda called concerned as she returned her daughter’s hug. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just really good to see you,” Freya sniffed before pulling back, wiping her eyes.

Wanda frowned, clearly not believing her. However, before she could give voice to her concerns, a man who could only be Cisco Ramon walked over.

“Hey Wanda, the caterers want to know if we want an open bar tonight,” Cisco told Wanda.

As Wanda turned to deal with that, Freya got a good look into the room behind her. It was an office, it seemed, greatly resembling her father’s old office from the Compound. A man was at a desk, his hair streaked with grey. But she recognized him; she knew his face even better than her own.

“Well, look who decided to show up,” Barry said as he got to his feet, disappointment on his face as he used what she had called his ‘dad’ voice when she was younger. “I told you, we needed your help setting up for tonight.”

“Setting up?” Freya asked and Barry sighed tiredly.

“For the celebration. You know the same one we’ve had for twenty three years, celebrating defeating Thanos and getting back everyone and remember those we lost. Are you okay?” Barry asked, noting that Freya seemed off.

“My head’s a little jumbled,” Freya said and Barry narrowed his eyes.

“I’d ask if you’re on drugs, but we both know dugs, except specialized ones like the Red Death, don’t work on us. So what’s going on Slugger?” Barry asked as he crossed his arms, waiting.

“I need to catch up,” Freya said.

“On what?” Barry demanded.

“On the last twenty three years,” Freya said simply.

She watched as it hit him like a ton of bricks, understanding washing over him. He looked at her for a moment, stunned, as if seeing her for the first time.

“Freya?” Barry breathed.

“Hey dad,” Freya said with a smile.

For a moment, it was completely silent in the office. Then, Barry laughed, drawing Wanda and Cisco’s attention as he walked over, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Welcome back,” Barry said as he pulled back, joy on his face.

“I’m glad everything worked out,” Freya said relieved. 

“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Barry said as he let her go.

“Barry?” Wanda said confused as her husband and daughter turned toward her.

“Like I said, a lot of catching up,” Barry said as Freya smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that’s it.
> 
> I thought it was a disappointment that we never really saw Thor as king of Asgard. We saw him become king at the end of Ragnarok but he spent all of Infinity War trying to kill Thanos and we know what happened in Endgame. His entire character Arc was preparing for Thor to become king but it just never happened.
> 
> As for Sif, well, she’s proved more compatible with Thor than any of his other love interests; she’s basically the female version of Thor. I think the Thor films would have been more interesting if she’d have been the female lead instead of Jane, to be honest.
> 
> A big part of Natasha’s character is her regret over allowing herself to be sterilized. And I think Clint, with all this power at his fingertips, would use it to help his best friend be free of the final chain to her past. 
> 
> For Clint giving up the helmet, well, Clint is, when it comes down to it, a normal guy who just wants to protect his friends and family. He never wanted the helmet, he needed it and now he doesn’t. And Strange is not going to allow it to just be lying around, so he would take it and Clint would give it to him.
> 
> Let’s be honest, Matt deserves a happy ending with the love of his life. And I heard somewhere Elektra was originally supposed to appear in season three of Daredevil but it got scraped because Elodie Yung was pregnant during filming. 
> 
> Some of you suspected that Freya would blink out of existence, most likely due to what happened to Nora in the show. But there’s a big difference between Freya and Nora: Freya has already been born. So she would still exist and, like with Barry in 3x01, her memories of the alternate timeline would fade in time.


End file.
